Regulated tourism can become a tool for reducing landslide risk in Himalayan urban centres

Rapid, unplanned development – often tourism-driven – transforms fragile Himalayan landscapes, intensifying landslide risk. Designed and built under time pressure, tourism-driven infrastructure and housing projects may disregard building codes and planning guidelines, thereby altering the landscape and increasing the potential for landslides. Additionally, unsustainable tourism increases exposure and reinforces vulnerabilities in hazard-prone areas with socio-spatial segregation. These practices, although they address immediate needs or financial goals, ultimately increase the region's exposure. We describe the vicious cycle created by these maladaptive practices as a ‘disaster-in-waiting’. However, tourism can also accelerate post-disaster recovery to quickly re-establish financial inflows to the affected area. Drawing on international examples of tourism taxes for climate crisis mitigation, we argue that tourism-generated revenues could also be reinvested in resilience-building, risk governance, and infrastructure safety in the Himalayas. Well-founded disaster risk reduction activities can mitigate future catastrophes before disaster recovery becomes necessary.