Kelvin Wong

PACS 10
Darren Zook
James Tinker
The effect of terrorism on Nepals tourism industry
Tourism is a burgeoning global industry that allows curious and intrepid travelers to
explore new worlds, experience new cultures, and become more cosmopolitan in nature. In the
United States Institute of Peace special report titled Tourism in the Developing World by
Martha Honey and Raymond Gilpin, the authors argue that tourism can promote peace and
stability in countries because it provides jobs which creates income for local communities,
diversifies the economy, protects the environment, and promotes cross-cultural awareness.
However, the claim that tourism promotes peace and stability comes into question given a case
study of the viability of tourism in Nepal. An analysis of terrorism and conflict in Nepal and
its effect on tourism and a general analysis of the relationship between tourism and
terrorism will seek to refute the claim that tourism promotes peace and stability in
countries.
Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia that has been a popular destination for
tourists because of its rich cultural history and its beautiful landscapes. Tourists seeking the state
of Nepal are part of an industry dubbed adventure tourism in which the attractions of a tourist
destination are characterized by natural scenery and outdoors activity (Bhattarai, Conway, &
Shrestha, 672). Nepal has been able to capitalize on its expansive mountainous region which
includes the Earths tallest mountain, Mount Everest, and holds a special claim to the birthplace
of Buddha. Despite its popularity as a region of great natural beauty and culture, an ongoing
conflict between Maoist groups and the Nepalese government has caused political instability
within Nepal which discourages the growth of tourism as a viable industry in the state. The

Maoist groups have operated under the political banner of the Communist Party of Nepal and
have engaged in a civil war against the government over worsening economic conditions and
state-sponsored repression.
While the internal conflict between Maoists and the Nepalese government is primarily a
domestic issue, the U.S.s global war on terror as a result of the events of 9/11 have led to the
designation of the Maoist groups as terrorists. Western support for Nepals government to
crackdown on Maoist groups is evident in that the Bush administration lent enormous support to
Nepal, including a $20 million military aid package, to destroy the growing Maoist movement
(Bhattarai, Conway, & Shrestha, 684). As part of its foreign policy aim to expand its global war
on terror, the U.S. has sought to back governments that support the fight against terrorist groups.
Whether or not Western aid for Nepals crackdown on Maoist insurgents have produced
empirical evidence of reduced conflict in the state, the fact remains that the perception of
political instability in Nepal among the international community, especially the tourist
demographic, have hurt Nepals tourism industry. Evidence of this is illustrated in that the
rhetoric of terrorism as well as actual warfare heightened, and even the smallest of Maoist
incidents were hyped in the global media, a pattern of sociological development that further
convinced the Western markets to divert tourists elsewhere, consequently rendering Nepals
industry a big blow (Bhattarai, Conway, & Shrestha, 684). Because the public perceived the
political instability in Nepal to be a threat to their safety, the tourist industry in Nepal has
suffered.
The Maoist insurgents have also directed their violence to tourists in that they have
targeted symbols of tourism such as hotels as a political message to the Nepalese government.
The Maoists justified their violence against the institutions of the tourist industry because they

represented the status quo and the elites in society. The Maoist reasoning is evident in that they
argued that the industry, particularly the big hotels and so-called nature conservation areas that
ecotourists patronized, was mostly controlled by a circle of Shah and Rana families and the
Mawari and Newar elites, it was a justified target of attacks in their war against the monarchy
and the entrenched interests of privilege (Bhattarai, Conway, & Shrestha, 684).
Thus, the logic behind the Maoists targeting of the tourism industrys infrastructure
stems from their perception that the hotel industry represents the symbols of capitalism that they
are diametrically opposed to. This is illustrated in that to the extent that the tourist industry in
most developed and developing nations is controlled or managed by socioeconomic and political
elites, tourists and facilities may be targeted by any group in opposition to those elites. Certainly
the most familiar pattern would be communist opposition to capitalist hotel and resort owners
(Richter & Waugh, 238). In opposition to a government that has control over an industry that is
informally touted as a paragon of the capitalist lifestyle, the Maoists feel justified in committing
terrorist acts against tourists as a means to gain political leverage over the government and to
cripple an important industry that has been a boon to the landlocked state of Nepal. This idea is
illustrated in that when tourism symbolizes capitalism and, if it is state-sponsored, then the
attack on the industry is an attack on the government as well (Snmez, 8).
The targeting of tourists is part of a terrorist groups strategy to incite public fear among a
population to avoid the one-sidedness of a traditional asymmetric war. This is shown in that
terrorists do not fight on traditional battlefields; they fight among civilians, which increases the
risk of collateral damage (Stern, 209) Thus, in analyzing the behaviors of terrorists, it shows
that they commit violence against civilian populations to foment fear and paranoia in a state,
leading to social unrest which casts doubt on a states legitimacy. In relating the behaviors of

terrorists to tourism, terrorists are able to take advantage of the fact that targeting tourists garners
the attention of the international community while blame is often cast upon the host government
rather than the actors that perpetrated the acts of violence. Therefore, the targeting of tourists
leads to media attention that causes public fear, which results in the perception that traveling is
unsafe thereby hurting the tourism industry. This is the case in Nepal, as the Maoists have
targeted the tourist industry who have become the unfortunate scapegoats of the Maoists political
machinations of disrupting the regimes power and legitimacy. Thus, the drastic effects of the
Maoists political campaign against the tourism industry is evident in that regardless of ones
views and interpretations of the ongoing cycle of political turmoil and violence, there is little
doubt that they have engendered a profound sense of public fear, thereby greatly worsening the
woes of Nepals tourism (Bhattarai, Conway, & Shrestha, 684).
While the fact that the tourist industry in Nepal has been dealt a huge blow is clear, the
question remains of what policies can be implemented to end the conflict in Nepal. Two possible
options are discussed. The first is the persuasion of the Maoists to forgo violence in favor of
using politics as a means to gain political power and enact social change. The second involves an
intervention by the international community to enforce the cessation of all conflict between the
Nepalese government and the Maoists.
The violent methods used by Maoist groups in Nepal stands in contrast to Islamist
parliamentarians who view politics as the path to create change in society. Thus, in comparison
Islamist parliamentarians Islamists who refuse to violently oppose U.S. hegemony in the
region and who are willing to engage in parliamentary politics represent a non-violent
alternative for political groups who use violence as a means to achieve their goals (McCants,
156). The option of engaging in politics to gain power and influence to promote ones social

agenda is an attractive option for the Maoists because they will gain legitimacy among the
people if they come to power through non-violent means. Following a path of non-violence
through politics will garner the respect of the international community in that they are abiding by
international norms, and will give them the moral superiority in the face of state-sponsored
suppression.
The second policy option, an internationally backed intervention, most likely by the UN,
would argue that the civil war in Nepal and the resulting collapse of proper state functions acts as
a pretext for the international community to intervene. This policy option would come into
question given that it is not clear which side is right and there is no signs of genocide; arguments
which have been used to justify prior interventions. The Maoists would probably argue that the
intervention is biased towards the interests of the West while the Nepalese government could
likely label the intervention as a violation of Nepals sovereignty. Furthermore, the danger of a
moral hazard could develop in that the prospects of intervention could create perverse
incentives for rebel groups to deliberately provoke states to commit violence against civilians in
order to generate an international response (Western & Goldstein, 249).
In summary, the effects of terrorism committed by Maoists in Nepal have damaged the
tourism industry. While the tourism industry is supposed to promote job growth and promote the
economy of the host government, the Maoist groups have targeted tourism in its broader conflict
against the Nepalese government and rendered the industry a shell of its former self. Given the
industrys image of the consumerist and capitalist way of life, tourism is an attractive target for
political groups that want to gain widespread media attention. As the case study in Nepal has
illustrated, tourism is not a panacea to the internal conflicts within a state and cannot promote
peace and stability on its own.

Works Cited
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