Gandaki Province Honors 6 Climbers Who Scaled Peaks Above 8,000 Meters

Pokhara. Gandaki Province government has honored climbers who climbed mountains higher than 8,000 meters. The Ministry of Industry and Tourism honored 6 climbers from the province with cash prizes. Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey, Minister of Industry and Tourism Yashoda Rizal, and Secretary of the Ministry Roshan Gyawali handed over cash prizes of 45,000 each, certificates of honor, tokens of love, and shawls. Nahasal Chhyongten Lama from Gorkha Chumanubri 1, who climbed Sagarmatha, Manaslu, and Lhotse; Kiran Bahadur P.C. from Parbat's Kushma 14, a Sagarmatha climber; Kishor Adhikari from Kaski's Machhapuchhre 4, a Sagarmatha climber; and Devi Prasad Neupane from Parbat's Bihadi 4, a Sagarmatha climber were honored. Amit Thapa from Tanahun's Rishing 2, who climbed Kanchenjunga, and Navraj Rana from ward number 5 of the same municipality, an Annapurna climber, were also honored. After the honor, Pandey said that the tourism development of Gandaki Province should now focus on the strategy of increasing the length of stay of tourists rather than competing to increase the number of tourists. 'We should now focus on how to inspire tourists to stay more days in Gandaki rather than how many tourists have come,' he said, 'The longer the stay of tourists, the more the economic activity and local income from tourism will increase.' He said that the continued tourist activity in Pokhara and other tourist destinations of Gandaki even during the off-season is a positive sign for the tourism sector. Minister of Industry and Tourism Yashoda Rizal expressed confidence that the courage, patience, and dedication of the mountaineers have played an important role in making Nepal's mountain tourism known internationally and that their achievements will inspire the new generation.