The nexus between cultural tourism and social entrepreneurship: a pathway to sustainable community development in Nepal

Abstract

Cultural tourism offers a pathway to community development and poverty eradication, particularly in developing countries and poor rural communities. In order to ensure that the benefits are spread equitably across the community and that cultural and environmental integrity is maintained over time, the active participation of community members supported by outside actors is essential. This paper explores the potential for community-based cultural tourism initiatives in three different regions of Nepal through a series of interviews with 18 experts in the Nepalese tourism industry. The list of tourism programmes suggested by the interviewees was interpreted through a community-based entrepreneurship model, focusing on the processes required to produce a sustainable cultural tourism product or service. The research furthers our understanding of the tourism industry in Nepal as well as providing guidance for the implementation of sustainable cultural tourism initiatives using community-based entrepreneurship.