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Mountaineers flock to Nepal

Friday - 20th April 2007

Mid-March to May is the ideal season for climbing the Himalayas. Expedition companies are euphoric as mountaineers are flocking to Nepal this spring to ascend peaks, as peace returned to the mountainous country following the end of the decade-old conflict.

Till date, 57 expeditions have received permission to scale different mountains, of which 22 are for Mt Everest, shows the data of Tourism Division of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The number has already exceeded the total number of expedition permissions that the government issued during the whole of last spring season. According to officials, the government had granted permission to 53 expedition teams last year, which included 17 permits to ascend Mt Everest.

Generally, the rush time for climbing ends at around mid-April, although mountaineers in a smaller number attempt to scale the peaks until May.

Sonam Sherpa, managing director of Thamserku Trekking said it is the peace process that has lured more mountaineers. "It is a piece of encouragement for the travel sector," he said.

Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association said the publicity of the proposed Olympics expedition on Mt Everest scheduled for next year has pushed up interest of adventure tourists to scale the world's highest peak.

The planned expedition has received significant international coverage, he said. He said a preparatory team for Olympics Expedition-2008 is attempting to conquer the Everest summit from the north side this season, which includes around 250 members, many from media.

Mountaineers are considered to be high-spending tourists, as they have to spend huge royalties for climb permits, and stay for longer periods.

The trekkers and mountaineers make up around 20 percent of the total tourist arrivals in Nepal. Tourist arrivals grew by a staggering 32 percent to 82,857 in the first three months of 2007 due to the materialization of peace.

Notwithstanding the encouraging growth, adventure-oriented companies, which sell packages for climbing, said Nepal is gradually losing its charm for mountaineering due to growing competition from Pakistan and China.

Due to high climbing royalties, the mountaineers have shifted to Pakistan and China, said Sherpa of Thamserku. He said the government should revise the royalties downward, if Nepal is to remain competitive enough in the mountaineering sector.

This season, 35 expeditions are attempting to conquer Mt Everest from Tibetan side, far too high number than that of the expeditions from Nepali side.

Noting that some foreign embassies continue to post travel warnings for Nepal, Sherpa said the government should take efforts toward urging a roll back of the warnings so that more adventurers would make trips to Nepal.


Source Kantipur online