‘Nepal is absolutely open for tourists’

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Billi Bierling is a journalist and climber who has lived on and off in Nepal for the past 11 years, working for the famed Himalayan Chronicler, Miss Elizabeth Hawley, documenting expeditions to so-called expedition peaks in Nepal.She is also a press officer for the United Nations and does media and communications work for Swiss Humanitarian Aid. Given her experience and the breadth of her knowledge of Nepal’s mountains, Pranaya Rana held an informal interview with Bierling about Nepal’s mountaineering sector in the wake of the spring earthquake.

As you know, the April earthquake took a lot of lives and caused much damage. The disaster only severely affected a few districts but there seems to an impression among foreigners that all of Nepal has been destroyed. Could you speak on just how safe is right now for tourists?

A lot of trekking routes are open and it is important to encourage tourists to come back to Nepal. But it is also important to not just stand there and say Nepal is safe. The trekking routes have certainly changed, even the ones that are open. What has changed for tourists from autumn 2014 to autumn 2015 is that they will have to get better information on the trek they plan to do. There are restrictions. For tourists, Nepal is absolutely fine to visit and I hope we see more visitors in September-October than we are seeing now. But it is also important to tell the people that they need to get the right information on what’s open and what is not. Langtang is gone and the Manaslu region through Arughat might not be accessible as there is a lot of destruction there. The Everest region, as far I know, is absolutely fine. They had a bit of destruction but it’s all been rebuilt. You also have Dolpa, Humla and Mustang, so Nepal is absolutely open for tourists.

The Everest region has had a string of disasters in recent years, from the avalanche in 2014 that killed so many Sherpas to the earthquake this year. What do you think the future looks like for this region?

Everest has had a lot of bad press, starting with the Simone Moro-Uli Steck-Jonathan Griffith incident in 2013, the avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas in 2014 and then this year’s earthquake where 18 people lost their lives. But Everest is the highest mountain in the world and if people have set their minds on climbing Everest, they will do it – no matter what. These people are usually not easily scared otherwise they wouldn’t attempt Everest. It may be different for the Sherpas as there has been a lot of bad karma on the mountain and they might not want to go back. But on the other hand, it’s their livelihood and it’s how they can send their children to medical school in America. One important point here is to get the Western media to understand that the Sherpas are usually not exploited. It’s their job and it’s their choice. The Sherpas are very good at their job an d they are proud of it. But it is a dangerous job and they know it.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, what do you think the Nepal government could do to encourage more tourists to visit Nepal?

Improve the infrastructure in this country, starting from the very moment you arrive at the airport. I don’t want to see anything positive in the earthquake, since so many people died, but it is a chance for Nepal to, as we say, ‘build back better’ or come out of it stronger. The government could offer incentives like ‘Come visit Nepal in 2015, we’ll give you a free visa.’ We don’t want to look desperate but some financial incentives could be given. The government could also try to make trekking in Nepal easier by reducing the bureaucracy, and maybe have fewer regulations. If you want to go hiking in South America, you can just go.. Unfortunately the constitution process is not helping the situation either. We have experienced a few bandhs in the past few weeks crippling the country, which is also not good for tourists. However, I have great hope for this country and at the end of the day, some of these hurdles can make a trip more adventurous.

How would you assess the role of the private sector in getting tourists?

Huge. As I just said, the government doesn’t really do much. After the earthquake, Nepalis have come together and seem to have found a connection. The private sector too needs to joins hands, like you guys have done with #NepalNow. However, in order to achieve the best results the private sector and the government should be working together. Rather than sitting and waiting, you need to get going.

There also seems to be a kind of ethical dilemma on the part of tourists, who feel conflicted about coming to visit Nepal when it has just gone through a massive disaster. How would you respond to this?

Right now, Nepal needs tourists more than it needs development aid. Rather than sit at home, donate $500 to a UN agency or non-governmental organisation, it is better to spend your holidays here. I think people like you and I have the obligation to tell potential tourists that a visit would not be disaster tourism but a great and much-needed help for the country. It’s actually a good time to come here because how often can you witness a country rebuild itself?

In closing, what does the autumn tourist season this year look like?

There has been a significant drop in expeditions compared with last autumn. There are only around 10Manasluexpeditions, a few to the Annapurnas and some to less known mountains. We usually see expeditions to Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga or Cho Oyu at this time of year, however, Ama Dablam looks good for October. As far as Everest is concerned it has always been much busier in the spring as conditions and weather are more favourable then. You just have to look at the numbers: between 2000 and 2014, 36 people reached the top in autumn compared with 3,376 people in spring during the same period of time. So regarding Everest, its business as usual.