Publication: Economic Impacts of Protected Area Tourism on Local Communities in Nepal
Date
2022
ISSN
Published
2022
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Nepal is endowed with a wealth of
natural resources including snow-capped mountains, abundant
rivers, sub-tropical forests, significant biodiversity and
wildlife, and pristine, diverse landscapes. A part of the
Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, the country is recognized
for its high endemicity and intact forest habitats. Over 45
percent of tourists to Nepal visit these protected areas,
which play a significant role in driving tourism, and
contribute to the country’s economy. Visitors, however,
predominantly visit only four parks, and thus, there is much
potential for protected areas in Nepal to further contribute
to development goals while maintaining the country’s rich
biodiversity asset base. This combination of protected areas
and rich biodiversity is equally a major tourism asset in an
industry which attracts eight billion visitors a year to
protected areas. The potential of Nepal’s protected area
network, and its contribution to the country’s economic
development is yet to be fully realized. This situation
mirrors that of many countries in which governments value
protected areas in conservation strategies but overlook them
in economic development plans. This oversight is of great
concern, as countries, globally, struggle to contain
unprecedented biodiversity losses while trying to address
development setbacks inflicted by COVID-19. This study
therefore sets out to strengthen the economic case for the
government of Nepal to promote sustainable and inclusive
tourism in its protected areas by estimating the direct and
indirect benefits to local economies from protected area tourism.
Citation
“World Bank. 2022. Economic Impacts of Protected Area Tourism on Local Communities in Nepal. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/37468 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”