KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 20

The Department of Tourism (DoT) has announced that it will issue mountain guide licence from now onwards. It has prepared a framework to strengthen mountaineering activities and make it a secure profession. As per the framework, any person conducting any activity in the mountains without DoT’s licence will face legal charges.

As per the department, the framework has been prepared and now it will soon start distributing licences after issuing a notice to the stakeholders.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has made it mandatory for every mountaineer to include a mountain guide during their expedition. Based on this particular rule the DoT will issue mountain guide licence.

Earlier, the government had recognised mountain guides recommended by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) too. However, now only government licence holders will get the opportunity to work as a mountain guide.

It has been estimated that there are around 2,000 mountain guides currently working in Nepal. In the past, the role of a mountain guide was taken to be that of a professional but now it has become a business.

Thus, to regulate this profession, DoT has brought this licence provision, the department informed.

The department has stated that the licence system will also help the government know the exact number of guides in the country and help make this work a bit more professional. There is a trend in Nepal to go abroad for expeditions when it is an off-season in Nepal. The government is confident that government licence holders will be more privileged with this licence during their expeditions abroad.

According to the framework, an experienced mountain guide who has climbed mountains in the past will be able to get a licence directly based on their climbing record. After each climbing season, Nepal Mountaineering Association keeps a record of climbers who have summitted various mountains.

Other mountain guides have to submit a certificate of completion of training and course. The Red Book Holder Mountain Guide provided by the NMA is also going to get a government licence based on the same experience.

Now, mountain guides without government licence will not be allowed to go to the mountains with any climbing team. The minimum number that a team should have is one mountain guide. However, if the climbing team is large then it needs a lot of mountain guides.

Those who go for mountaineering without a licence will only be recognised as high-altitude porters.