Nepalese tourist trekking routes set to reopen

Three months after powerful earthquakes rocked Nepal, one of the country’s most popular trekking areas is set to reopen.

The first official report on earthquake-related damage in the Annapurna region has been welcomed by the Government of Nepal, trekking companies, and development agencies behind the assessment, who regard it as an important step towards the country’s economic recovery.

Tourism is Nepal’s largest source of foreign income, with more than 40% of the country’s 800,000 visitors each year coming for its trekking and adventure activities. However, tour operators looking for reassurance on safety for travellers in the Annapurna region have had to rely on anecdotal evidence to date.

Commenting on the assessment on the status of trekking in the Annapurna region Suresh Man Shrestha, Secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation stated “there has been a decline in foreign tourists since the earthquake

“Tourism is very important for Nepal’s economy and for the Nepalese people. But, we needed to assess which areas of the trekking regions have to be reconstructed for the safety of our visitors.”

In a joint public-private initiative, earthquake engineering specialists Miyamoto received funding from SAMARTH-UKAID on behalf of the government of Nepal to conduct the expert assessment. The report confirms that the Annapurna region, located in the Himalayas in north-central Nepal, sustained “very little damage, with the 3% of buildings which were damaged in the earthquake all easily repairable.”

The assessment of the Annapurna region was conducted by a team of earthquake geotechnical experts, structural engineering experts, conservation officers from the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), and Intrepid Travel, a leading trekking operator with its local mountain guides who provided their extensive knowledge of the region and insight into historical hazards.

The team conducted a technical inspection of the main trekking routes and selected villages ahead of the monsoon season.

Dr Kit Miyamoto, ACAP’s technical team leader and a structural earthquake engineer explained “the aim of the report was to develop an overall understanding of the extent of the damage from the earthquakes so that we could assess the safety of the region’s trekking routes.

“Conservation officers from Annapurna Conservation Area Project and trekking guides from the region were critical in helping the technical team navigate the almost 200 kilometres of trekking routes that were surveyed for earthquake-related damage.”

Intrepid Travel Chief Executive Darrell Wade added “like many other tour operators we’ve seen a significant slump in bookings since the quake as travellers are concerned about safety in Nepal.

“There’s been speculation about the condition of the treks, but we believe that the industry needed a proper assessment to make decisions based on facts.”

Intrepid Travel is donating all profits from the upcoming season in Nepal back to support charities in Nepal as part of the initiative to return tourism to the country.

Wade explains “we’re one of the largest trekking operators in Nepal, and we know how reliant the country is on tourism so we felt a big responsibility to get things in Nepal back to normal as soon as possible by kick-starting the trekking season in September.”

The assessment is believed to be the first ever completed by international earthquake engineering specialists on trekking routes in Nepal, and the recommendations include opportunities to manage potential hazards not associated with the April and May earthquakes.

Click here to Learn more about Intrepid Travel’s Return to Nepal campaign.

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