Man on a mission

Darrell Wade, chief executive and a founder of Intrepid Travels, was recently in Nepal for the 14th time. This time, he was here to witness first-hand Nepal’s recovery from the devastating spring earthquakes. What he saw inspired enough confidence in him to resume Intrepid’s 25 itineraries here.

In an interview with the New York Times, Wade spoke about how well Nepal is recovering and how instrumental tourism is to the livelihoods of many Nepalis. “Most people saw the heartbreaking damage from the earthquake, but they don’t see what life is like now,” he said. “Things are better than expected in so many ways.”

Wade also touched on an issue that seems to be on the minds of many potential visitors, namely the ethics of visiting a place so recently struck by disaster. “We’ve been hearing from travelers that they care about supporting Nepal but are concerned that they will get in the way and take accommodations from people living there who need them,” he clarified. “The reality is that travelers need to come back and pay hotel owners so that they, in turn, can pay builders to rebuild their properties.”

Intrepid Travels, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia is one of the largest tour operators in Nepal and partnered with Miyamoto International and the Nepal government to conduct safety assessments of the Everest and Annapurna regions, two of Nepal’s most trafficked tourist areas.

Read the full interview here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/travel/nepal-tourism-intrepid-travel.html