I have been Chief District Officer for nine months, and I have seen little direct tourism benefit reaching local people. Most of the income appears to remain with travel agencies in Kathmandu.
I believe the answer lies in skills and empowerment. NGOs and community organisations can help people identify tourism opportunities, and my office has encouraged them to build awareness and create new sources of income.
Dolpa has remarkable natural resources, but local people have not yet found reliable ways to capture their long-term value. Tourism also competes with herb collection. During June and July, a person may earn enough from valuable herbs to support a household for an entire year.
When two months of herb collection can provide a year’s income, the slower and less certain promise of tourism might not seem such a good opportunity.
Visitor numbers remain too low to create serious cultural disruption or large amounts of waste. Crime is also limited. I believe the alcohol ban has helped by reducing both household spending on drink and the problems that often follow it.
I see Dolpa as a hidden treasure. A botanist can discover rare plants, a nature lover can experience dramatic scenery, and someone tired of city life can find genuine quiet. Filmmaker Eric Valli showed how powerful the region’s landscape can be.
Dolpa should not become valuable only when outsiders sell it; local people must learn how to build lasting value from what already surrounds them.
My hope is not simply for more visitors, but for tourism that protects Dolpa’s character while giving residents the skills to benefit from it.
