Some mountains of Asia have acted as spiritual magnets, attracting pilgrims over the centuries. Earlier pilgrimages have now been superseded by secular tourism. At the turn of the century, high mountains became centres of exploration and adventure as forerunners of mountain tourism. With rising incomes and greater mobility, mountains have become accessible to an increasing number of tourists. For many mountain areas, tourism now constitutes the principal source of income.
Mountains are economic as well as political frontiers.
The latter expressed as political boundaries make mountains hot spots of armed conflicts. In Asia, such confrontations engulf the Caucasus, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Myanmar, Mindanao, and West Iran. Such conflicts will persist because of political rivalry among States as well as a result of mountain people s search for self assertion and autonomy. In the economic arena, the frontier phenomenon need not necessarily be the limit but rather the extension of possibilities. Mountain remoteness has two implications.