Tourism Minister lauds role of Sherpas in Nepal tourism

KATHMANDU: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel on Thursday said that Sherpa community played a significant role in the development of Nepal tourism sector.

Addressing a function organised to mark the first anniversary of Sherpa Kahabar vernacular weekly in the capital, Minister Pokharel also urged the Sherpa community to further strengthen its capacity for the development of mountain tourism.

“Sherpas are backbone of the country’s mountaineering sector,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Pokharel also remembered late Wongchu Sherpa who founded the Everest Summiteers Association, saying that his contribution towards protecting the environment and rights of the Sherpa community in the Himalaya region was never forgotten. “Wonchu contributed to his community with different projects in his lifetime,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Parliament members Ramhari Khatiwada, Harkabol Rai and Yagya Raj Sunuwar highlighted that mass media could strengthen the linkages among the social units of the diversified society.

The Minister also honoured journalists including Rajan Pokhrel of The Himalayan Times and Lakpa Sherpa of Avenues Television with the Wonchu Sherpa Memorial Award for raising issues related to mountaineering and the Sherpa community.

Chairman of the PK Media, Ang Phula Sherpa, expressed his commitment that Sherpa Khabar would do its best to highlight the issues of Sherpa community in the coming days.