Off the Beaten Trail

Nepal’s renewed focus on mountain tourism should offer Sikkim more than just admiration—it should offer a lesson.

For Nepal, mountaineering, trekking and adventure tourism are not merely attractions. They are an important part of the country’s identity, economy and employment. Yet, despite being an established mountain tourism destination, Nepal is still looking at policy and legal reforms to make the sector safer, more organised, sustainable and globally competitive.

The debate around Nepal’s proposed Tourism Bill 2081 is particularly relevant. Mountain tourism stakeholders have called for a comprehensive overhaul, arguing that legislation must provide a long-term national roadmap rather than becoming largely a mechanism for licences, regulations, penalties and administrative control. The larger message is clear: mountain tourism needs vision, not just regulation.

Sikkim needs to have this conversation too. We have a spectacular mountain landscape, a rich cultural heritage and enormous potential for trekking and adventure tourism. Yet our tourism economy remains heavily dependent on a few familiar destinations and a largely seasonal flow of visitors. Tsomgo and Nathula continue to dominate the tourism circuit, with many visitors spending barely a few days in the State before returning. This cannot be the extent of Sikkim’s tourism ambition.

We need to identify new destinations, open carefully planned trekking routes and develop existing ones with better infrastructure. The Yuksom-Goechala-Khangchendzonga Base Camp trek, for instance, has the potential to become a flagship Himalayan experience if developed responsibly—with safe trails, strategically located teahouses, trained local guides, communication networks, emergency facilities and proper waste-management systems.

This does not mean turning our mountains into another commercial tourism corridor. Quite the opposite. Sikkim must learn from both the successes and excesses of established mountain destinations. Development must remain within the ecological carrying capacity of our fragile landscape and ensure that mountain communities benefit directly.

Our mountains are not short-stay sightseeing backdrops. They are an economy, a culture and a way of life. If we continue to sell only Tsomgo and Nathula, we will remain trapped in a narrow, seasonal tourism model. Nepal is already thinking beyond simply attracting more tourists. Sikkim must do the same.