Nepal has decided to offer major relief to visitors as part of its efforts to boost tourism in the remote areas.
According to BBC, the home of the world’s 10 tallest mountains is all set to waive fees for 97 of its Himalayan mountains for the next two years.
The tourism department of the country said that they have taken this initiative to make the "unexplored tourism products and destinations" of the country accessible and known.
The decision came from Nepal, which for the first time in almost a decade announced it would raise the permit fees to summit the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, to $15,000 (£11,170) from September.
As per The Kathmandu Post, the director of Nepal's Tourism Department, Himal Gautam, said, “Despite their breathtaking beauty, the number of tourists and mountaineers here is very low, as access is so difficult. We hope the new provision will help. They can create jobs, generate income, and strengthen the local economy.”
Peaks with waived fees are in Karnali and Sudurpaschim, two of the poorest and least developed provinces in the far-western region of the country. The peaks range from 5,970 m (19,590 ft) to 7,132 m high.
Notably, mountaineering is a significant source of revenue for Nepal. Last year, the landlocked South Asian country generated $5.9 million from climbing fees, of which over three-quarters was from Everest.
