Extreme Environments

Tourism in Nepal

Thamel, Kathmandu, where many tourists begin their trip.

Visitor arrivals

• The Nepal Tourism Board said the arrival of 448,769 foreign visitors at the country's only international airport in 2010, 15 percent more than in 2009, showed tourism had recovered from the impact of a 10-year civil war.

• Trekking is one of the most popular tourist activities in Nepal.

Annapurna Trekking Area

Visitors

• Explain why the number of visitors to Nepal fell between 2000 and 2008

• What do you think the impacts of so many tourists might be on Nepal?

Opportunities

• Employment opportunities

• Becoming a guide or porter is a well respected profession

• Guides & porters earn a good wage.

• They also get good tips

Communications

• New bridge under construction at Birithanti

• Threat or opportunity?

Construction of new road to Ghandruk

Will this be a sight of the past?

Who will be affected by the new road?

• List some advantages • List some disadvantages

What might be some negative impacts of tourism?

Who benefits from tourism?

How has tourism changed local villages?

Threat or opportunity?

Why do tourists come here?

Summit of Poon Hill. A peaceful, unspoilt area?

Waste disposal

How has the traditional way of life changed?

Tourism development in Ghandruk

Evidence of deforestation.

ConservationIs the area being conserved to protect it so that more tourists will visit?Is the area being conserved because of the dame caused by tourists?Is the area being conserved because of the dame caused by locals?

HEP Scheme at Landruk

Sustainable?

Solar panels in Ghandruk

How effectively is tourism managed in Annapurna? Why is management necessary?

Daal Baat

Mt Everest

What are the impacts of tourism on the environment?

Make notes on:• Mass movement & erosion• Land degradation• Vulnerability to hazards• Aesthetic change• Water usage• Waste disposal

Exam qu

• Examine the challenges posed by tourism development and associated communications and development in an extreme environment. (10 marks)

• Examine the opportunities which tourism creates in an extreme environment you studied. (10 marks)

• Using an annotated map, evaluate the impact of tourism on settlement and communication in an Extreme Environment you have studied. (10 marks)