Nepal to open new mountains for expedition

Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Jeevan Ram Shrestha has said that the mountains will be gradually opened for mountain climbing.

At the opening ceremony of the 31st and 32nd Annual General Meetings of Nepal Mountaineering Association, he said that the government's policy is to open more mountains and peaks for climbing besides the ones currently open. "The ministry has advanced the plan to give permission to climb the mountains from 5,800 meters to 8,000 meters, which are not suitable for climbing," he said.

Minister Shrestha expressed his commitment that the government will cooperate with the private sector in the development and promotion of mountain climbing as Nepal's Himalayas and Peaks are an important means of attracting foreign tourists. He said that tourism, which plays an important role in the country's economic prosperity, has become a means of earning foreign currency as well as creating jobs.

He held the view that Nepal can be developed as a world tourism destination by developing adventure tourism. At present, 414 mountains including Everest, the world's highest peak, have been opened for climbing in Nepal. Minister Shrestha said that the government has made a 74-point plan to revive Nepal's tourism sector, which has been affected by the corona epidemic, and is moving ahead with its implementation.

Budhisagar Lamichhane, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, said that since the tourism sector is an important pillar of the country's economy, the government wants to cooperate with the private sector for its development.

Chandra Rizal, Vice President of Nepal Tourism Board, Khum Bahadur Subedi, President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and others said that there is a need for cooperation and coordination among stakeholders to strengthen the tourism sector and provide quality services.

President of the association Nima Nurbu Sherpa said that the association has been active for the past four decades for the development of mountain tourism. Established on Kartik 15, 2030, the association currently has more than two thousand mountain tourism businessmen across the country. In the same program, various people who made special contribution in mountain tourism were honored.