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पर्यटकको सुबिधाको लागि सरकारले बिभिन्न हिमाल आरोहणको लागि लाग्ने रोयल्टी शुल्कमा भारी कटौती गरेको समाचार आएको छ । यसबाट पक्कै पनि बिदेशी पर्यटकको लागि नेपाल गन्तब्यको सुचीमा पर्ने नै छ । र खुलेका बिभिन्न हिमाल आरोहणको अनुमतीले पनि पर्यटन क्षेत्रको नयाँ सम्भावनाको ढोका खोलेको छ । लाङ्टाङ, केन्जिङ घुम्नको लागि हेलिकोप्टरमा आउने पर्यटकको सँख्या पनि बढेको छ ।

Kantipur Report
KATHMANDU, May 1 - The government has decided to slash royalties on mountaineering expeditions during the off-seasons to promote season-based mountaineering round the year.
It has also exempted royalties for all mountains in the western and far-western regions for the next five years, said officials.
“Without changing the royalty for the spring season, we have deducted the royalty by 50 percent for autumn and 75 percent for winter and summer seasons,” said Prem Kumar Rai, joint secretary at the tourism ministry.
He said the decision was made to give incentive to climbers to take on mountains during the off-seasons. “We want to portray Nepal as a destination for all seasons,” he said.
The mountains remain virtually deserted in the autumn and winter seasons. The autumn climbing season runs between September and November and the winter season between December and January.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association, said the decision should have been taken a long time back. “Indeed, it will help Nepal's Himalayas to compete with Pakistan and China,” he said, adding: “Higher royalties are still some of the obstacles to mountaineering promotion.”
Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, has more than 2,000 Himalayan peaks -- 326 of them open to foreign climbers. Trekkers and mountaineers make up around 20 percent of the total tourist arrivals in Nepal.
Mountaineers are considered to be high-spending tourists, as they have to fork out huge royalties for climbing permits, and also stay longer. It is estimated that normally an expedition employs around 600 people as porters and 400 as guides, cooks and kitchen boys during the entire expedition, aside from business opportunities and indirect generation of employments.
Sherpa sees good prospects of arrival of mountaineers in the off-season as well. “Many mountaineers go to Pakistan to climb mountains in the winter and autumn seasons because of cheaper royalties. So, why can not we lure them?” he said.
Posted on: 2008-04-30