How Welcoming Girls into Tourism Leads to Change

“I want to use trekking as a way to do good,” says 2016 LEADer, Sabina.

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Seventeen-year-old Sabina wants to combine her dream of becoming a trekking guide with her passion for social change.[/caption]

This post was written by Bidhyalaxmi Maharjan, Women LEAD’s Communication Intern

Each year, Nepal’s stunning Himalayan mountain range, roaring rivers, and rich cultural diversity lure thousands of tourists to visit the country. It’s not uncommon for Nepal to be featured in the top list of travel destination on international travel sites. Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2016, for example, ranks Kathmandu seventh under Best Destinations in Asia. The picture tourism industry portrays is fascinating. Going to different places, meeting with people from all over the world, leading an adventurous lifestyle, and trailing daunting paths that lead to splendid mountains looks all too appealing for many youths, who dream of pursuing their career in this field.

2016 LEADer Sabina is one of them. Her uncle, who is a trekking guide, used to share stories of trekking with Sabina from a young age and growing up around Boudhha she would interact with many tourists. All of this inspired her to become a trekking guide. But her motivation to pursue this career is not merely limited to adventure. “I want to use trekking as a way to do good to people, and not just for fun. While going trekking we go to remote places and come across different people. I want to share the knowledge I have with other people, so that they can make their life better.” As a trekking guide, Sabina hopes that she can reach isolated and remote villages and teach individuals about important issues such as child labor, trafficking, deforestation, and polygamy.

Sabina thinks it’s very important that girls take interest in outdoor activities like, hiking, trekking and camping.“Many girls do not engage in outdoor activities very much, but I think if girls get involved in outdoor activities it helps change the perception of people that girls are weak and show that girls can also go long trekkings, that requires a lot of willpower and stamina.” However, she realizes the challenges she might have to face. “Trekking is a really challenging sector for girls. When girls spend night away from home, people tend to think of her negatively. You don’t really picture a girl leading a group of trekkers. They think it’s a man’s job. But I think we can pull if off if we have determination and do not give up simply because people do not perceive us positively,” says Sabina.

What Sabina says is true. According to the 2015 Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Mangement (NATHM) Souvenir, there are only 344 certified female tourist guides and 207 certified female trekking guides so far, whereas the number of certified male tourist and trekking guides is 3,183 and 12,337 respectively.

Among a handful of women in the tourism scene of Nepal, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita is one of them. Born in Lukla, Sherpa Akita is a professional mountaineer and was awarded National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year 2016 for her efforts in supplying relief materials in remote Himalayan regions after the 2015 Earthquakes.

Tourism has the potential to drive economic growth of Nepal. It not only generates foreign revenues for the country but also creates job opportunities in tourist destinations. The benefits tourism yields at both national and local level is obvious. In Nepal itself women makeup a large part of workforce in tourism, who run guest houses and tea shops in villages that cater to the lodging and fooding of tourists. But it’s time to encourage women to take on more jobs in tourism, especially ‘masculine’ jobs that have long been off limits.

Sherpa Akita are role-models for young women like Sabina, who dream of helping their fellow Nepalese through trekking. Many young girls like Sabina want use their passion for trekking to help people. They feel a sense of responsibility towards their society and are passionate about creating impact in the lives of people in whatever ways they can. In order to progress change, we must ensure that young women, like Sabina are encouraged to enter all fields of the tourism sector.

Women LEAD is the first and only professional and leadership development organization for young women in Nepal. To learn more about our programs, visit http://www.women-lead.org.