Garnering validation on scoping study findings and strategic direction under the ‘Scoping Study on Sustainable and Climate Resilient Mountain Tourism’

About the meeting

 ICIMOD initiated a regional ‘Scoping Study on Sustainable and Climate Resilient Mountain Tourism’ in its four regional member countries (RMCs) – Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). As part of the study process, we are organising a virtual meeting for validating study findings and eliciting feedback from a diverse array of stakeholders within the mountain tourism sector. This interactive session will provide an opportunity for representatives from government bodies, non-governmental organisations, academia, local communities, and industry stakeholders to critically review the insights gained from the scoping study.

The meeting will be structured to encourage open dialogue and constructive discourse on the identified policy provisions, gaps, and opportunities at regional, national, and local levels pertaining to sustainable and climate resilient mountain tourism in the HKH region. Participants will share their perspectives, experiences, and recommendations based on their expertise and involvement in the tourism sector.

Objectives

• Provide an overview of the scoping study findings and strategic direction (policy recommendation and roadmap), emphasising key policy contexts, challenges and gaps identified during the scoping study
• Facilitate dialogue and knowledge exchange among diverse stakeholders , to solicit inputs on specific policy provisions, gaps, and opportunities requiring both immediate and long-term attention and targeted interventions

Expected outputs

• Consolidated feedback and recommendation from the stakeholders to be integrated into the scoping study report
• Serves as a collaborative platform for dialogue, networking, and the exchange of information among diverse stakeholders engaged in the scoping study for validation and co-creation of knowledge

Background

Mountain tourism is an important service sector, contributing to wider economic development at the regional, national, and local levels of the HKH region. It is also an important source of livelihood opportunity for women, youths, and marginalised group, contributing to bringing inclusive and equitable development. However, major long-term trends, especially climate change, socio-economic change and future change present new challenges for the RMCs and the tourism stakeholders, to optimise the full potential of tourism in the new normal world. Over the next decade, the concerned stakeholders will need to deliver the triple mandates of taking climate action, reduce disaster induced risks and address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to secure economies and livelihoods. This requires transforming the sector, destination, business, and demand pattern (market), in line with green, inclusive and climate-resilient development thinking and pathways. This also means attracting and aligning the green investment and collaborative partnership in support of such transformative agenda for sustainable mountain tourism in the HKH region.

The Sustainable Mountain Tourism Component, housed under ICIMOD’s Action Area C – Adapting and Transforming Livelihoods, aims to support RMCs to transition mountain tourism to sustainable and climate-resilient future. This Component initiated regional scoping study with the aim to explore and understand policy contexts and guide strategic direction (policy recommendation and roadmap) for making mountain tourism greener, inclusive and climate-resilient in the HKH region. Informed by regional analysis of the four RMCs, the study focused on detailed sectoral and destination level analysis in Bhutan and Nepal, the two RMCs which are highly dependent on tourism, but extremely vulnerable to changing climate and non-climate contexts.

Agenda

Moderator – Sunayana Basnet, ICIMOD