Mahesh Kumar Budha

It is far from easy to survive in the highly competitive tourism market in Nepal. Under normal circumstances, but all the more after the earthquake last spring. There are hundreds of trekking and expedition agencies in Kathmandu that compete to get any clients. Most of them are small companies, and the owners often live from hand to mouth. Small entrepreneurs like my friend Mahesh Kumar Budha suffer most from the economic consequences of the earthquake. The government estimates that the tourism market has slumped by 50 percent, local operators assume that it is up to 70 percent.

No income since January

In 2003, Mahesh was my trekking guide when I did a one-week-trip to the Annapurna region to report for DW radio about the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).  In 2011, after having worked for about 20 years for other trekking companies, he founded his own agency “Joy Treks”. His bureau is located in Thamel, the popular tourist quarter in Kathmandu. “I have had no income since January“, the 40-year-old writes to me. „Actually one group wanted to visit Nepal in May and another in June, but the devastating quake didn’t let them come.” Before the earthquake Mahesh also had enough inquiries for this fall. “But most of them are silent now, and I think it is because they are scared to travel to Nepal.”

Suicides of business men

Mahesh in front of his bureau

Mahesh has to feed his family. His four children are attending school, the eldest twins are in the tenth class preparing their final year on high school before going to college. That costs money. “The living costs in Kathmandu have also increased in recent years”, says Mahesh. “I am very worried about that all.”
He reports about some Nepalese people who took advantage of the earthquake by providing fake information to their foreign friends and clients. “But my moral, my heart doesn’t allow me to do it like them. I never had my own house in Kathmandu and I cannot post pictures of a collapsed building pointing ‘This is my house’!”
The bad economic consequences of the earthquake have also led to human tragedies. “Two of the tourism businessmen in Kathmandu (they were holding travel companies) committed suicide, and I am sure this number will increase in future days”, writes Mahesh. “Bitter, bitter!”

People like Mahesh Kumar Budha do need our support. The best way to do so is to travel to the country again. Don’t forget Nepal!

Trekking the Annapurna Circuit

A characteristic of our time is that nobody has time – or does not take his time. That affects mountain tourism too. For years, German operators note a decreasing interest in expeditions that take 50 or even 60 days. Simultaneously, more climbers tend to book trips for which they need only 30 leave days. In other words, expeditions to 7000ers are booming, those to 8000ers are ailing. Apparently, the trend “the shorter, the better” also applies to trekking. Experts in Nepal have called to change with the times by offering shorter treks. They said that an increasing number of trekking tourists in Nepal were coming from China and Southeast Asian countries – and those trekkers simply had not time for a three-week trip on the Annapurna circuit or to trek to Everest base camp.

The Chinese are coming

The Chinese seem to have discovered Nepal as a holiday destination. According to data published by the government in Kathmandu, in 2013 for the first time more than 100,000 people from China travelled to Nepal: Within one year the number increased from nearly 72,000 to more than 113,000. About 90 percent of them came for the first time, 70 percent to spend their holidays in Nepal. But following the data from Kathmandu, the Chinese have not yet got enthusiastic about mountain tourism in Nepal. Only 5,388 of them stated in their visa applications that mountaineering or trekking was the purpose of their visit. Regarding this point, China was only in seventh place of the nations ranking, that was led by Germany (9,352), France (8,807) and UK (8,775). But especially young Chinese were being attracted towards soft adventure activities in Nepal like trekking and paragliding, said one of the largest Nepalese operators handling Chinese tourists.

Everest highway

By jeep to Manang on the Annapurna Circuit

Many Nepalese agencies have already attuned to the new clients with low-time budget. In addition to the classic routes they offer short trips like an “Instant Everest”, an only eight-day-trek in the Khumbu region.

One of the reasons why those shorter trips are possible is that in the most visited areas , such as the Annapurna region, more and more roads are built – at least suitable for jeeps.  Environmental protection is not always taken into consideration. But with those new roads, the starting point of new shorter trekking routes can be reached quickly.

In August, the Nepalese government announced that a kind of “Everest highway” would be built: Using this planned 100-km-road from Jiri to Surkhe village, tourists could reach the area around the highest mountain in the world more easily. Surkhe is only about two hours’ walk from Lukla. At present, this traditional starting point for trekkings in the Khumbu region is almost always reached by plane – because a trek takes up rather a lot of time.  And hardly anyone has time.