International development ideology and two tourism policies of Nepal

This paper examines the role of development discourse in Nepal’s tourism policy. In Nepal, tourism is an important part of development activity that is driven by international development partners. Since the ideology that drives the international agencies has undergone a huge transformation in the last 25 years, it would be useful to see how such changes are reflected in the tourism public policy of Nepal. Data include analysis of two tourism policies, other documentary sources and interviews with eminent tourism experts to compare the two tourism policies when international development ‘thinking’ was different. The findings show that seemingly ‘tourism’ policies are the outcome of domestic political contexts that they are not outwith the scope of international development ideology advanced by development partners. The paper makes a useful contribution to understanding the role of international development ideology in the tourism policy-making of a developing country