KATHMANDU, Oct 21: Tourists who come to climb mountains and explore high mountain areas have made a big contribution to the country's tourism industry. More tourists have been interested in mountain climbing than other activities, which have helped the tourism industry recover from the impact of COVID-19.
Mountain climbing has been more successful than hotels and restaurants in attracting tourists, providing some relief to the tourism entrepreneurs. This autumn, the government collected over Rs 55 million in revenue by issuing permits for climbing mountains. According to the Department of Tourism, they collected the royalty amount by issuing permits to climb 42 mountains.
A total of 881 climbers from 114 groups got permission to climb different mountains. Among them, 720 were men, and 179 were women.
The most popular time for mountain climbing is the spring season followed by the fall season from October to November. This is the second busiest climbing season, so more permits will likely be issued.
Govt collects highest amount of royalty from Mt Manaslu climbin...
Among the 42 mountains, Mount Manaslu, which is 8,163 meters high, attracted most of the tourists and helped collect permit fees worth over Rs 34 million. So far, 301 climbers, including 236 men and 65 women from 27 groups have obtained permits to climb Mt Manaslu.
The second highest fee was collected from Mt Ama Dablam, totaling Rs 15.1 million. This mountain stands 6,812 meters above the sea level. A total of 198 people, including 166 men and 32 women, got permission to climb Mt Ama Dablam.
Mount Himlung contributed an additional Rs 3.386 million in permit fees. A total of 111 climbers from 14 groups received permission to climb Mount Himlung, which is 7,126 meters high, including 86 men and 25 women.
Mount Dhaulagiri also collected a significant amount of permit fees this season, with 23 climbers from four groups obtaining permission. So far, 12 men and 11 women have received permission to climb Mount Dhaulagiri, which is 8,167 meters high.
Mount Putha Hiunchuli collected more than Rs 1.094 million in permit fees. Climbers from various countries paid for permits to climb 42 different mountains, including Mount Choyu, Mount Jugal, Mount Ratna Chuli , and more.
The government sets different climbing fees based on the season and mountain. For foreign citizens, it costs $5,500 to climb Mount Everest in the fall, while Nepali nationals pay only Rs 37,500. For mountains over 8,000 meters, foreign citizens pay $900 for a permit in the fall, while Nepali nationals pay Rs 5,000.
The number of climbers varies by season. In the fall, many climbers prefer Manaslu and Ama Dablam, while in the spring, Mount Everest is more popular.
The United States leads the number of mountain climbing permits issued, with 180 US citizens getting permission. Germany is second with 80 permits, followed by China with 69 permits, and Russia with 58 permits. In total, people from 70 countries have received climbing permits from the department.
