Nepal's Tourism Department Issues New Directives to Regulate and Enhance Safety in Mountaineering Expeditions

Kathmandu. The government has issued new directives to make climbing activities more organized, safe, and transparent. The Department of Tourism, under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, has issued a circular instructing climbing teams, trekking agencies, and concerned stakeholders to comply with various nine-point conditions.

The department stated that these provisions have been brought into implementation within the purview of the Sixth Amendment to the Mountaineering Regulation, 2059, and prevailing laws.

Under the new arrangement, a detailed application must be submitted at least two days prior to obtaining permission for any mountain ascent.

'A provision has been made mandating the inclusion of details of support staff when applying for climbing permits, and only staff whose names are mentioned in the permit letter should be deployed to the work area. If there is a situation where support staff need to be added unexpectedly, prior approval must be obtained from the department with a clear reason,' the conditions issued by the department state.

Mountain guides or high-altitude workers who reach the final base camp of the climb will only be allowed to reach the summit if they are permitted as members of the expedition team. To digitize the climbing permit system, recent photographs of expedition members and staff must be mandatorily uploaded to the system, and certificates will be issued based on those same photographs.

To organize the 'briefing' held on the eve of the climb, a joint briefing will be held daily in the presence of the team leader, agency representative, and liaison officer.

To streamline accident and rescue operations in the mountains, the department has directed that detailed information regarding rescue operations must be mandatorily submitted to the Department of Tourism and the Tourist Police office located at Bhrikutimandap.

The department has also clarified the issue of old outstanding dues. For garbage deposit amounts not returned from climbs scheduled up to the Winter of 2025, requests have been made to apply with necessary documents. The department has also ensured that such deposit amounts will be refunded within a maximum of 7 days after receiving the application.