Resumen de Irish pubs and dream cafes: tourism, tradition and modernity in Nepal's Khumbu (Everest) region
Scholars of globalization and cultural theories have argued that tradition and modernity are negotiated concepts and not fixed points for cultural references. The transformation of Khumbu, a traditional mountain region, to Everest, as a tourism destination did not occur overnight, but Hillary's and Norgay's scaling of the summit of Mt Everest slowly but decidedly paved the way for its turn as one of the most famous adventure destinations in the world. Applying concepts relevant to the dichotomies of tradition-modernity and local-cosmopolitan, and cultural competence, this paper explores the contrasts apparent in the touristic landscape of Khumbu: (1) in the physical realities of a place that is rugged and remote, yet friendly, cosmopolitan and familiar; (2) in how the Sherpa view themselves; and, (3) in tourists’ imaginations and experiences with Sherpa society. Main data sources include 21 field-based interviews with Sherpa entrepreneurs and tourists, analysis of observations recorded in 13 student journals, and background literature on Khumbu based on the author's previous research and other major scholarly work on Sherpa society. Based on these observations, three main conclusions are made: (1) that the Sherpa are very successful in negotiating between tradition and modernity; (2) that successful negotiation is largely due to a higher level of cultural competence gained through involvement in tourism; and (3) that tourists are increasingly aware of the apparent discrepancy in their expectation and realities of Sherpa culture encountered during their trip.
