TOURISM AS A MEANS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A CASE OF HIGHLANDS OF NEPAL

Nepal, being a home to eight out of ten eightthousanders (mountains above 8000 metres above sea level), is one of the famous tourism destinations of the world. The country is famous for the mountains and associated features including glaciers, high altitude lakes, endangered and rare species of flora and fauna. The highlands which are very rich in natural beauty and diversity, have minimal options for the livelihood. The Highlands of Himalaya are the region above 3000 metres above sea level and are usually a barren land with nill to very low possibility of agricultural practices. The barren land and tundra vegetation restrict the local communities to practice commercial farming. However, the region is equally gifted by the scenic and beautiful landscapes with mountains in the backdrop. After the formal start of tourism in Nepal in 1950s (Shrestha & Shrestha, 2012), the usual unproductive land of highlands saw new opportunities in the form of tourism businesses. The qualitative research paper highlights how tourism transformed the lives of the communities of Sagarmatha region as tourism has offered economic viability, social coherence and environmental sustainability in the region.