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Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Nepal. Especially the tourism industry of Pokhara and Sikles show great potential as they feature beautiful cultural and natural attractions.
However, with rising numbers of tourists exploring the two destinations, the rapid increase in visitors has resulted in low-end tourism in Pokhara and outpaced Sikles’ capacity to manage growth effectively. Consequently, both destinations face challenges like weak governance, unsustainable practices and environmental issues such as poor waste management and plastic pollution. Moreover, unplanned development, inadequate investments and weak collaboration among stakeholders have led to reactive measures and a lack of vision and planning which not only affects the population but also the environment. The tourism sector also lacks skilled human resources which impacts the overall quality of the visitor experience.
To address these challenges, the project strengthens the capacities of tourism businesses such as accommodation enterprises and supports policy and planning structures by introducing the “Sustainable Tourism Destination Management” approach. This structured method focuses on assessing, developing, and preserving destinations by defining sustainable visitor demand and empowering the local population to cater to it with own tourism products. Combined with technical business support, the project will help the target group to develop and adopt inclusive and sustainable business models. This will enhance the sustainability of their practices, products and services, aligning them with market demand, industry standards, competition, company vision, and sustainability pathways.
Additionally, training courses for tourism professionals will be developed in cooperation with local academia to address the shortage of skilled tourism employees. In Sikles, the project empowers the local population through the “Community Coaching on Sustainability” approach. This initiative provides participatory training and coaching to co-develop sustainable products, bridging the gap between market demand and local offerings.
The project aims to support the transition of the city of Pokhara and the village of Sikles in Nepal towards the adoption of more sustainable practices and products, benefiting both the local population and the environment. To achieve this target, the project builds the capacity of accommodation enterprises by fostering sustainable business models. It focuses on product diversification/development through co-creation and coaching processes as well as improved service quality by introducing upskilling training for tourism professionals. By leveraging newly acquired skills and knowledge, local businesses are adopting sustainable practices, leading to more environmentally friendly operations and behaviours. Additionally, the project aims to enhance collaboration among stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
This project is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.