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Nepal targets sustainable summits in 2020

24.01.2020

The Government of Nepal has declared 2020 the Visit Nepal Year. This large-scale campaign is a nationwide effort to dramatically boost tourism in the country. The goal is to host two million tourists this year: double the number of visitors in 2019. 

Sustainable tourism is a critical aspect of Visit Nepal Year 2020. Preserving the rich culture and environment, even with increased numbers of tourists, is an important part of the campaign. Nepal’s mountains are a significant aspect of these preservation efforts. The country’s mountains are a major draw for tourists. One of the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign’s focus areas is to open new trekking and mountaineering routes in the Himalayas. The Visit Nepal Year campaign will responsibly manage mountaineering and trekking to prevent overcrowding or degrading the mountain environment.

A key activity of the Visit Nepal Year is the fifth international Sustainable Summits Conference, jointly hosted by the Nepal Tourism Board from 1 to 5 June 2020. The Mountain Partnership will be participating in this year’s Sustainable Summits Conference.

The conference is motivated by the growing pressures on mountain environments and the need to find solutions to the impacts of such pressures, such as overcrowding and waste. The Sustainable Summits Conference will showcase the country’s mountain environment, highlight climate change issues and bring international attention to Nepal’s mountain tourism.

The five-day conference will focus on mountain communities, sustainable mountaineering, development pressures, and promoting connectivity between tourism, trade and regional cooperation.

Speakers include academics, mountaineers, writers and former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark.

While the Sustainable Summits Conference encompasses topics that are relevant to mountains around the world, the primary focus will be on the Hindu Kush Himalaya region. The conference will honor the mountains’ spiritual significance, bolster tourism to the region, share pertinent information and mobilize national, regional and global networks to strengthen mountains.

Learn more about the Sustainable Summits Conference

Learn more about Visit Nepal Year 2020

Photo from Chris Leggatt