Socio-Economic Transformation through Bhada Homestay Tourism: A Community-Based Livelihood Analysis from Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal

Abstract

In the context of the transition zone of peri-urban areas of Nepal, homestay tourism is one of the important livelihood diversification strategies, however, its socio-economic impacts have not been sufficiently studied. This study explores the impact of Bhada Homestay tourism on the livelihoods and community structure of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City under the framework of sustainable livelihoods, secondary data from Digital Village Profile (2020) and National Population and Housing Census (2021), and thematic analysis of community stories. It finds that the income of households that own homestays is in the range of NPR 25,000–50,000 per month, whereas that of the agriculture-dependent households ranges from NPR 12,000 to NPR 25,000 per month, and 73% of the households employed people in the hospitality sector. The involvement in tharu cultural performance reinforces the sense of community pride and the promotion of local culture, however there is still a drop in participation from low-literacy households. The economic visibility of women has grown, as well as their pressure on domestic work, and seasonal tourism has created new vulnerabilities. The study proposes specific forms of municipal support, such as literacy and digital marketing training, micro-loans, and recognition of the women's workload, along with the inclusion of women in the urban tourism planning process for a fair and sustainable transition.