KATHMANDU, Nepal- The government has decided to waive off climbing permit fee for mountain peaks in mid and far western regions for five more years effective from July 16.
Earlier, the government had waived off climbing permit fee for mountain peaks in mid and far western region for five years starting July, 2008.
In the notification letter obtained by Nepal Mountain Focus that the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) sent to expedition, tour and trekking operators, the ministry said that it decided to extend royalty waiver after witnessing significant rise in trekking and mountaineering activities in mid and far western region over the past five years.
The expedition and tour operators had been lobbying with MoCTCA for extension of royalty waiver arguing that trekking and mountaineering activities in mid and far western region was increasing gradually.
The government during diamond jubilee celebration of the first ascent of Mount Everest organized on May had announced to bring different programmes and schemes to promote mountain tourism in the country.
According to the MoCTCA source, the ministry is consulting with the concerned and stakeholders to raise potentials of the mountaineering in Nepal. Waiving permit fees, exemption of taxes for expeditions with noble causes, opening more peaks for climbing are the plans in the ministry’s priority, the source said.
