Nepal will make 97 Himalayan mountains free to climb over the next two years to boost tourism in some remote areas.
This is reported by the BBC.
The peaks for which the fee will be waived are located in the Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces of Nepal, and their altitudes range from 5,970 to 7,132 meters.
“Despite the breathtaking beauty, the number of tourists and climbers here is very low because access is very difficult. We hope the new regulation will help,” said Himal Gautam, director of the Nepal Tourism Department.
Meanwhile, starting in September, the permit fee for climbing Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, will increase to $15,000. This is the first increase in nearly a decade.
Nepal’s tourism department said it hopes the initiative will draw attention to the country’s “unexplored tourism products and destinations.”
According to the BBC, only 68 of the 97 remote peaks have been climbed by climbers in the past two years. In contrast, 421 permits were issued for Everest in 2024.
Everest is the world’s highest peak at over 8,849 meters (29,919 feet). The publication reports that in recent years the mountain has suffered from overcrowding, environmental problems and a series of deadly climbing attempts.
In April 2024, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to limit the number of permits for climbing Everest and some other peaks, saying that the capabilities of the mountains “must be respected.”
The country’s parliament is also debating a new law that would require anyone who wants to conquer the highest peak to first climb a mountain over 7,000 meters in the country.
Source: suspilne.media