Tourism is coming to the previously isolated mountainous regions of Central and South Asia. The challenge is to ensure that it is well-managed and that its benefits are shared by all.

The spectacular mountainous regions of Central Asia, the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas, closed for many years to visitors from abroad, now attract growing numbers of foreign tourists attracted by the unique cultures and natural beauty of these hitherto isolated areas.

However, while growing tourist numbers are bringing economic opportunities and employment to local populations, helping to promote these little-known regions of the world, they have also brought challenges with them: How to ensure that local communities fully benefit from the development of tourism and that growth in tourism helps to preserve and sustain the natural and cultural riches of these regions, rather than putting them in danger?

on this subject: Cultural and Eco-tourism in the Mountainous Regions of Central Asia and in the Himalayas