Problems of tourism

Tourism began in Nepal as people discovered the land around the tallest peak in the world, Mt. Everest. Development around Mt. Everest was slow to start, however the scenery waiting to be viewed would soon attract many tourists. So tourism began: people had ambitions to climb the slopes of the great mountain, and, as always, local people began to expand their living to fit that of the tourists and began to, in some areas, become richer and more developed. However, visitors would share their culture, good or bad, and this had some major disadvantages, principally litter. Locals also began to, as they used more developed equipment, drop litter on the slopes that no-one wanted to take down. This includes oxygen bottles, bottles of water, snack bars and tissues etc – all of what we enjoy at home, but without any bins. Landfill sites were set up.
Other problems include the volume of tourists wearing the mountain away, which causes mudslides through erosion which can be deadly for lower communities. Trees are cut down at an alarming rate, adding to this problem – a tourist uses three times more wood than a Sherpa. In the towns, toilet facilities involve no sewage system, and therefore local water, which the people are used to it being clean, is neglected and polluted with human waste. Locals, who can’t afford the bottled water that tourists are buying have no real choice about using the polluted water and suffer the increased health costs and deadly diseases. Now tourists are buying and pushing up the price of products that the locals are selling, agriculture in growing potatoes for the local population has decreased and problems have occurred because of the price rise: locals can no longer buy their community’s food and often must either eat less or find another way to make a living. Large non-localised organisations often refuse responsibility concerning waste, forcing local people to clean up to keep the area attractive to tourists.
Due to the ongoing chronic power shortages and political instability, Nepal may face serious consequences in the days to come.