A majority of the people in the mountain areas and villages of Nepal live in abject poverty. Development has not been able to reach many remote and inaccessible areas of the mountains and villages. The people there continue to depend on natural and land resources for survival. The environment, in terms of renewable natural resources, is degrading; population is growing, and hardships increasing. Opportunities are not forthcoming either. In this apparently hopeless situation, tourism development in new areas, especially in the mountain areas & in unspoiled villages (Village Tourism) provides some hope for the improvement of the situation faced by the people. In some mountain areas and villages, tourism has been able to bring benefits to some people. The conventional thinking has been that tourism led development will occur simply by opening new areas and permitting tourists to visit them. In case of Village Tourism major proportion of the income is directed to the village communities. In this way preservation of the priceless heritage of Nepali culture is being taken care off while simultaneously improving the lifestyle and well being of the local people.
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