Kathmandu, December 11:

Rain played a spoilsport as the Himalaya Tourism Conference opened here in Kathmandu on the International Mountain Day today.

It ended up virtually washing out the elaborate plans of a procession comprising renowned mountaineers, climbers, international delegates and media walking through the city to converge at Durbar Square to mark the golden jubilee celebration of Mt Manaslu and Mt Lhotse.

The programme at Hyatt however unfolded without any glitches as the deputy prime minister K P Oli formally inaugurated the international meet in front of a packed audience from 12 participating countries and national and international media.

He emphasised on the importance of mountain tourism as a major component of tourism to boost the economy of Nepal. “The Himalayas are not just a tourism product but part of our cultural activities as we worship mountain deities and they are a perennial source of water too,” pointed out Oli.

Over the years several mountain peaks have suffered environmental degradation. “We need to understand the limitations of eco tourism to preserve the Himalayas,” he added.

The minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation Pradeep Kumar Gyawali too emphasised on the need to protect and maintain the cleanliness of Himalayas which was a source of livelihood to millions of people. He said adventure tourism had always been a big trade with the international community.

Organised by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), WWF, Nepal, and Himalaya Environmental Trust, Nepal among others, the Himalaya Tourism Conference coincides with the celebration of the golden jubilee of the first ascent of Mt Manaslu and Mt Lhotse.

Aimed at attracting international media attention, the conference is being attended by delegates from 12 countries including China, Japan, Pakistan, Tibet, Taiwan and Ukraine.

However, the founder president of the Himalayan Environment Trust, India Capt M S Kohli who was scheduled to chair a few sessions was unable to come. So there’s no representation from India, informed Deebas Bikram Shah, general secretary NMA.

“The basic tenet of this meet is to come up with a standardised mountain policy on Himalayas, besides deliberating on the pros and cons of the existing policies,” maintained Shah.