Kathmandu, Feb. 28:Tourism as Development: Case Studies from the Himalaya,” the seventh publication of Himal Books, was released amidst a function at Hotel Vajra in Kathmandu today. The book, edited by the well-known regional planner Pitamber Sharma, analyses the complex interface between tourism and development in five areas in the Hind Kush-Himalaya region.

The case studies presented deal with the Fairy Meadows of Pakistan, the Phewa Lake of Pokhara, the ‘forbidden kingdom’ of Lo Manthang, the Indian hill station of Shimla, and the pilgrimage destination of Badrinath. “The central message of the book is (that) tourism, in order to be sustainable in the mountains, has to contribute to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural development of tourist areas or else it has no meaning and relevance,” writes Egbert Pelinck of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in his preface. The five case studies presented in this book were done by ICIMOD to elucidate the problems and processes of tourism and development in different contexts.

“Tourism as Development: Case Studies from the Himalaya” is jointly published in Nepal by Himal Books and in Austria by Studienverlag.

Himal Books, the publication arm of the not-for-profit Himal Association, is dedicated to the publication of quality books on Nepal and the Himalaya. Its publications include titles like Toni Hagen’s “Nepal” and Harka Gurung and Jan Salter’s “Faces of Nepal.”