Nepal Mountain Academy

This paper is study about the intersection between yak herding and tourism. The main focus is on how the concepts of yak festival and gothstay are transforming the conventional notion of animal husbandry, in particular yak herding, in the eastern high mountain region of Nepal. It is based on ethnographic study among the yak and urang herders in the region. Triangulation methods i.e., observation, interview, household survey and GIS were used. The yak festival and the concept of gothstay are giving new meaning, value and symbol – something different from the customary usage – to yak and yak herding. The concept of yak-tourism is not only a connection of yak and yak herding with tourism, but also gendering of the yak through language, image and form in public spaces. Thus, the rational, instrumental and conventional way of describing of yak is not sufficient in the context of livestock tourism. Moreover, the concept of gothstay is transforming the traditional notion of goth; i.e., from herders’ place to touristic site for learning about Himalayan pastoral culture and lifestyle. It would be a potential alternative of livelihood source for the Himalayan herders who have very limited options for making a living.

Adventure tourism is one of the main attractions in Nepal, however, ski and winter tourism are not famous yet. Therefore, this study carried out research on the possibility and development of ski adventure tourism in the favor of winter tourism. The Mera peak area has been selected as the study area, which is located in the Hinku Valley, Solukhumbu, at 6470-meter above sea level. This study used Remote Sensing approaches, a walk survey and photography, and conducted 27 Key Informant Interview (KII) to screen the possibility and development of the ski and winter tourism. Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and Satellite Images via Google Earth have been applied for route and ski sites mapping. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data (12.5 m resolution) has been used for DEM, slope, hillshade, and contour analysis. Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope was applied to determine the climatic trend of the region. The study explored detailed route and ski sites of the Mera peak area and identified it as one of the potential areas for skiing in Nepal. There were not noticiable risk factors for skiing except climate change and minor crevasses. There are several destinations for ski activities in Nepal, which would promote winter tourism in the country. The study uncovered that there have been increasing rates of temperature and decreasing rates of precipitation in the mountain region of Nepal. These climatic factors added some level of risk for a ski industry in the region because increasing trends of temperature result in high rates of snow ablation. The findings of this research will greatly help to promote ski and winter tourism in Nepal, and it will be one of the base documents for developing ski- related policy by the government of Nepal and will be useful for further academic and scientific research in Nepal.

Gosaikunda and Bhairabkunda are two largest lakes among dozens of lakes in the upper Ghattekhola watershed of Trisuli River in Nepal. Although being important high-altitude Ramsar site from Nepal, a detailed inventory that includes essential information on their hydrological, physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and human interactions are missing. We conducted an inventory of the lakes in the watershed in the previous study and in this study; we present the Lake Bathymetry, morphometric characteristics and hydrochemistry following recent methodologies. The Gosaikunda and Bhairbakunda have the maximum depth of 26.5 m and 59.1 m with area of 13.3 and 16 ha, respectively. The study supports to establish a reference site for exploring scientific evidence on the impacts of anthropogenic and climate change on lake hydrological systems in the future.

In addition to pledging economic prosperity, the existing body of knowledge reveals that tourism can bring and accelerate peace. The trek/tour operators can play an important role in this process through the application Code of Ethics (CoE) embedded responsible tourism. However, trekking porters' case in Nepal is not only under researched but also against the above set assumption. In this context, the key focuses of this article is to assess the existing CoE embedded responsible tourism policies and practices and examine the key items related with porters' portering profession.
 Methodologically, this research has utilized mixed information (qualitative and quantitative). Within the constructivist research paradigm, forty trek operators which employee trekking porters, were surveyed. Additionally, seven trekking porters (as the center actor of this research) and few leaders of tourism workers' unions were also interviewed. The findings reveal that CoEs emerge as valuable basis for assuring prosperity and peace. It finds improvements on key measuring items like porters' minimum wages, carrying loads, safety gears and clothes, and emergency evacuation in the management of trek operators but with sporadic lapses too. The existing tourism policies and strategies are found highlighting the need of CoEs but silent on the nitty-gritty of such ethics. This paper recommends for recruitments of all porters' through policy led establishment of a national Porter Referral Center (PRC) and all jobs assignments through mandatory job contracts. Finally, it necessitates for both ethics and regulation to go hand in hand for making tourism a true peace builder.

In the transitional phase of Nepal, attaining peoples’ democracy in the 1950, the tourism and hospitality sector witnessed dynamism. The isolated Nepal was on the way of opening for tourism. This paper tries to frame a picture of the era of 1950s in Nepal when commercial tourism was introduced. An overlooked pioneer, Boris Lissanevitch, who established the international-standard Royal Hotel in Kathmandu in 1954, assisted in making key changes in the progression of tourism as visa issuance, hospitality modernization, management of royal events, sightseeing activities, accomplishing inter-continental land cruise, and introduction of European vegetables and dishes. His vision of tourism as an economic sector led Nepal attaining its golden age (of tourism) thus paving the way for other tourism and hospitality enthusiasts to establish similar businesses. This paper aims at interpreting and appreciating the efforts Boris made in the development of tourism in Nepal among tourism scholars and stakeholders

Abstract. Riparian areas serve as interfaces between terrestrial and aquatic (including glaciers and glacial lakes) ecosystems, playing a crucial role in shaping landscapes, supporting flora and fauna diversity, and supporting human communities. Thus, riparian areas maintain ecological, cultural, and socio-economic resilience, enriching communities dependent on these ecosystems. Riparian areas are of great ecological value and have immense potential for tourism. However, the touristic value of riparian zones has largely remained unexplored and is confined mainly to the area of river-based recreational activities. This paper proposes “riparian tourism” as a holistic and sustainable form of tourism that encompasses both consumptive and non-consumptive forms of tourism. The exploration of the subject and the conceptualization of this potentially globally appealing form of tourism have the potential to offer entrepreneurial and touristic opportunities, especially for local communities, thereby ensuring not only ecological but also socio-economic benefits. The paper delves into creating a conceptual framework for riparian tourism, e.g. cryo-tourism. The research in this sense contributes greatly to increasing the discourse on sustainable tourism and emphasizes the urgency to incorporate tourism and conservation actions in riparian areas which are greatly impacted by the changing climate.

This study has assessed the definitions, historical development and scope of adventure tourism globally and its implications for Nepal. It is based on the secondary literature review and analysis that refers to some of the imminent text books and reports. Further, it has focused on the economic prospects associated with the adventure tourism activities and its benefits to the destination and nation. The study has suggested some of the essential prerequisites that are needed to be maintained for the establishment of Nepal as a destination of adventure tourism at a high ranking spot in the developing world.

Himalayan slopes are highly exposed to landslides, primarily triggered by earthquakes and monsoon precipitation. Satellite methods offer unrivalled spatial coverage of surface displacements on a weekly scale. However, they do not directly provide details of deformation at depth, nor do they offer sufficient temporal resolution to elucidate the continuity or intermittent nature of the landslide deformation during phases of heavy rainfall, strong rise in the water table or during intermediate seismic shaking. To address these issues in the context of the ANR/FNR project "SLIDE", we have recently deployed in late October 2025 a geophysical network at the level of one active, km-scale cultivated landslide in Nepal consisting in 16 co-located seismic and GNSS stations and one metereological station.In this presentation, we will present the practical aspects of deploying and maintaining these instruments in remote Himalayan terrain. Each system required specific installation techniques and careful site selection to ensure stable measurements and long-term performance. Field operations were challenged by difficult access, variable road conditions, limited power availability, and unpredictable weather. Beyond technical challenges, community engagement is essential and close collaboration with local residents guided several site choices. We will also show the preliminary analysis of seismic, GNSS and meteorological data over the first 6 months of operation, which will be applied in the next three years to derive temporal and spatial changes of the landslide properties.

Kaulepani is one of the most beautiful tourism destinations, popularly known as the homestay village. It has created its identity as a cultural homestay tourism on the way to Annapurna circuit. The community homestay tourism has contributed a remarkable footstep in the local tourism arena. This study has tried to put some efforts on the homestay sector that could play pivotal roles for the further researchers, scholars and students of tourism discipline. It has tried to identify the changes brought in economy in the community by homestay tourism promotion. It focuses on the impacts of homestay by analyzing the factors viz. employment opportunities, changes in income, development of infrastructures, fund generation for communal activities and micro-entrepreneurship. These factors are considered as the variables for the study. Further, it tries to establish a comparative relationship between establishment of homestay as a cause and women empowerment as the effect.