From overtourism to COVID in Nepal : exploring the relationship between human security and tourism

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between human security and tourism in Nepal and use the findings to theorize on post pandemic tourism development. Two key theoretical concepts were used: tourism area life cycle and the human security model. Semi- structured interviews with key informants working in the Nepali tourism provided insights into the relationship. The study findings suggest that tourism impacts the human security of Nepalese populations, providing benefit but also sometimes leading to conflict as defined by Bird (2011). Pre-Covid, the research would have been conducted in the context of overtourism. Carried out during the COVID pandemic, the research was conducted in the context of a loss of employment and earnings. Good governance was found to be key in achieving successful tourism development and human security outcomes, reflective of the need to control growth in order to ensure the best human security outcomes. Tourism was found to share a relationship with human security whereby the two extremes of overtourism and no tourism both decreased human security. However, there are conditions under which tourism is beneficial to human security. Finally, COVID was found to represent a crisis point of tourism in Nepal. While people are hopeful for a return to the benefits accrued by tourism, the future remains uncertain. There is a need for a humanitarian approach with the return of tourism post-COVID, envisaged as hopeful tourism.