(Ben Weissenbach / For The Times)
Recent media coverage of the Solukhumbu region has focused on the Nepalese government’s questionable decision to allow climbers to return to Mt. Everest, and the infusion of tourist dollars this will bring. But for most locals many of whom took out high-interest loans to build businesses in the years leading up to the pandemic this will be too little, too late.
Climbers typically account for less than 1% of visitors to the region. Trekkers make up the rest, and they have remained almost entirely absent this season. In 2019, 7,993 people entered Sagarmatha National Park by the end of March. This year, the number was 255.