Sagarmatha National Park (Mount Everest) Visitor Survey and Analysis (Everest Visitor Survey)

Abstract

Tourists are very important components in the Nepalese Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) (Mount Everest) economy and landscape. For improved management of SNP, more information on the visitors is necessary, and therefore a questionnaire was administered to over 5,000 visitors to obtain their profile, trekking destinations, problems encountered, and suggestions for improvements within the park. The questionnaire had two components, the first on park entrance and the second on park exit. Six countries, UK, US, Germany, Japan, France, and Australia, accounted for over 50% of the visitors to SNP, and visitors had an average visit of about 15 days. Interestingly, 14% of those surveyed had previously visited SNP. The primary suggestions for improvements are quality of toilets, better hygiene and water, and waste management. The survey results provide useful baseline information and suggestions for changes and have also been incorporated into system dynamics models to evaluate management options within the park.