The lesson is crystal clear: the cost of inaction and governance failure can be catastrophic while proactive, accountable leadership is the only light that can guide a nation through dark and challenging times.
Nepal’s challenge is not a lack of resources. It is the lack of effective management, coordination, and intent.
According to the Nepal Living Standards Survey-IV 2022-23, as many as 50.6% of individuals living in poverty have no education, with only 6.9% completing secondary school.
In 2024, Zimbabwe welcomed 1.6 million visitors, while Nepal welcomed 1.2 million visitors. However, the tourism earnings of Zimbabwe is USD 1.2 billion compared to Nepal’s USD 700 million.
Nepal can learn from Vietnam that tourism transformation does not begin with mere grand investment but with everyday discipline, service excellence and civic pride, in short, getting the basics right.
As Nepal is highly reliant on external sources of finance for its socio-economic development, with personal remittance inflows consistently exceeding 25% of GDP, the country is experiencing a structural shift from an “agriculture-based subsistence economy” to a “remittance-based consumption economy”.