Annapurna’s Rs 3 billion business in risk

In 1997, the complete Annapurna Circuit Trek was first opened to tourists. The walk began from Besisahar, and they hiked up to Manang village. Then, after climbing over the famous Thorng La pass at 5,316m, the route entered the Mustang District. From Mustang, tourists walked for one more week down to Beni Bazaar, the district headquarters of Myagdi District. This used to be a very famous and long trekking route for international tourists.

Now, this is only three days of walking. The travellers can get an SUV from Besisahar up to Manang. And in just three days, they cross the Thorong La pass, meeting up with another road network in Mustang. And that’s it. All the exposure and business that could have been made in 23 days is now gone in just three days.