Struggling For Survival

The number of trekkers has plummeted, forcing agencies to lay off many workers

By KESHAB POUDEL

A popular trekking destination, Jiri was once known as a gateway to Mt. Everest. Situated 150 kilometers east of Kathmandu, the place is virtually empty these days. The decline in the number of trekkers has meant a sharp rise in joblessness.

Until a decade ago, a large number of trekkers to the Everest region used Jiri as their starting point. With the start of regular air service to Lukla, tourists began flying to the Everest foothills. But Jiri still retained much of its popularity among those interested in an extended hike.

Jiri is not the only hub falling on bad times. Most of the popular trekking destinations of the country have seen a serious decline in the number of foreigners. Following last September's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington DC, which prompted a global tourism slump, and the upsurge in the Maoist insurgency in Nepal, the number of trekkers has declined on almost all the major routes.

Traditionally popular trekking routes, including Everest, Annapurna and Langtang, are still safe. There has been no incident of harassment or attacks against trekkers. But a large number of would-be trekkers are staying away because of the negative publicity Nepal has been getting in the international media.

"Major tourists destinations including Chitwan, Annapurna and Pokhara are safe and large number of Indian and other foreign tourists are coming up," said Pradip Raj Pandey, chief of Nepal Tourism Board, at a recent press conference in New Delhi. He complained that the international media were distorting news about Nepal.

Regardless of official claims about the security situation in the country, even sporadic incidents of violence along the trekking areas are enough to scare off potential visitors. The Maoist assaults at the Lukla Airport last December and sporadic incidents in the Annapurna region have exacerbated these fears.

Despite growing violence and a hostile international environment, overall tourist arrivals in the last three months were not that bad. According to reports, tourist arrivals declined by 50 percent in the last three months and trekkers accounted for a significant part of the fall.

 Although the first two months of this year was very bad for trekking, things appeared to improve in March. Had the country received some positive media coverage, Nepal's trekking industry would not have had to suffer as much.

Employing more than 100,000 workers, the trekking industry is one of the important components of the Nepalese tourism sector. At a time when the country is facing growing hardships due to declining exports, any adverse  impact in the trekking sector can only add to the problems.

The government must take some vital step to revitalize trekking. In response to requests from entrepreneurs, the government has agreed to provide additional security in the trekking areas. But that alone would not be enough to encourage a greater inflow of trekkers.

Other sectors need to complement the efforts of the government. It would be impossible to encourage tourists to keep coming as long as a climate of hostility continues to grow. The important thing Nepal has to do is to send a positive message to the world. The government needs to come out with a positive package, which other sectors of society could build on.