The Government of Nepal announced on Friday the reopening for the climbs of Mount Everest, the highest in the world, and of 414 other peaks of the Himalayas to which all climbers will be able to return after four months of closure in order to stop the coronavirus expansion.

"The measure is to boost tourist activities in the fall season, which begins in September," Director of the Department of Tourism, Meera Acharya , explained to Efe .

Acharya acknowledged, however, that they are "still in the process of soon presenting the standard operating procedures guide for climbers, mountain guides, porters and rescue teams." They have time until August 17, when it is scheduled to resume national and international flights to and from the Asian country, so that tourists and mountain lovers will still be late in arriving, although hotels and restaurants may open since this Thursday.

The industry related to mountain tourism reported income to the country of 240.7 billion Nepalese rupees (about $ 2 billion) in 2018, about 8% of the country's GDP, thanks to the arrival of 1.2 million tourists, of which a third visited the country in the fall season, according to the latest annual report presented by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Increase of cases

For this reason, the sector applauds the measure, although it hopes that "the Government clarifies the documents that tourists will be required to enter Nepal, in order to inform customers," the director of Seven Summit Treks , one of the the country's largest tour operators, Mingma Sherpa.

"We are awaiting the government's decision on whether foreign tourists traveling to Nepal will need PCR test certificates to enter the country or whether they will have to spend certain days in quarantine," he added.

Regarding that, "the Government will decide soon," said the deputy secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane , who acknowledged that these details are still being discussed.

Despite this uncertainty, Sherpa celebrated that his company already has at least a hundred climber reserves for Mount Manaslu , one of the "eight-thousand" (8,163 meters), for the fall season. "They are also consulting us on expeditions to Mount Everest," he said.

The reopening of tourism coincides with a significant increase in confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, which accumulates 19,547 positive patients and 52 deaths, although 14,248 infected have already recovered, according to the Ministry of Health.

In the last week, the increase in cases has exceeded a thousand, after last July 21 the country left behind the confinement that was imposed on March 20.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Nepal
  • GDP
  • Nepal earthquake
  • sports

TourismThe Government launches the 'Back to Spain' campaign to attract international tourists

Economy Quarantines threaten 1.6 million in the tourism and air sector

MalagaHotels on the Costa del Sol will distribute 100 euro vouchers for healthcare professionals

See links of interest

  • Last minute
  • Spanish translator
  • Programming
  • 2020 calendar
  • Horoscope today
  • League classification
  • Santander League Calendar
  • Movies today
  • Themes