Fifty years after Nepal captured the world’s attention in May 1953 with Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mount Everest, the news is mostly grim for a nation whose economy depends on mountaineers and visitors. Nepal’s tourism industry has virtually collapsed as a result of the Maoist insurgency that seeks to abolish the monarchy and controls more than a third of the countryside. Clashes with government forces have left nearly 8000 Nepalese dead since the guerillas took up arms in 1996. Nepal’s Tourism Board says airline passenger arrivals fell nearly 28 per cent last year, after dropping 20 per cent the year before. But for foreigners ready to take the risk, there are bargains to be found, especially at the big hotels in the Kathmandu Valley, which have slashed rates. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.