There are many, so many places where the environment is not favourable to economic development and the creation of material wealth: lack of natural resources, unsuitable climate that hinders the development of agriculture, wild geographic features that block communications and travel, and above all dysfunctional governments and divided societies.

Sometimes though, poor countries have natural or cultural assets that fuel what has become one of the world's most important industry, tourism. But instead of benefiting a whole country, the money of tourism often stays with the top layer of governments and a minority of clever and lucky entrepreneurs. Opportunities are not distributed on a macro-scale, opening wide gaps between those blessed by tourism and those not. So is the bottom line really positive?

Nepal is a case in point.

While visiting the Khumbu valley, I would spent my nights in lodges, houses that cater for trekkers. The flux of tourists coming mainly to see Mt. Everest has made the Khumbu valley the richest part of Nepal. The lodge shown on the picture is in Namche Bazaar, a village that is the 'hub' of the valley. Once the Indian soap opera over, the owners showed videos of their latest trip to the US, from which they had come back a couple of days before: their daughter has a job in New York and they sent their son to Boulder, Colorado to study computer sciences. On their way back, they stopped in Europe to see a couple of countries they had not visited before.
In Nepal, more than 40% of the population lives below the poverty line.