SOLUKHUMBU, OCOTBER 26
Nearly 9,000 trekkers visited the Sagarmatha region, locally known as Khumbu region, of Solukhumbu district in a month.
According to the Sagarmatha National Park's office, Namche, a total of 8,902 tourists arrived in the Khumbu region from mid-September to mid-October of the current fiscal year 2024/25.
The Park collected over Rs 20 million in revenue from the visitors for entry fee, said Bibek Shrestha, Park's official. The entry fee to the area for Nepali citizens is Rs 100 per person, Rs 1500 for citizens from SAARC-member countries and Rs 3,000 for those from other countries.
The Park, however, had recorded only 125 trekkers entering the region within mid-July to mid-August while 1,331 trekkers visited the region within mid-August to mid-September. Their influx during these period generated nearly Rs 3.6 million in revenue, informed Shrestha.
"It is a tourist season now in the country. So, arrival of tourists at the Khumbu region is high," he observed, attributing the surge to the pleasant atmosphere and the region's stunning landscapes and towering mountains including the highest mountain- the Sagarmatha.
As tourists' traffic increases, the Park officials are busy keeping accurate reports and maximizing revenue collection, he added.
On average, around 1,000 tourists enter the Park daily during the peak season. Enlisted in the UNSECO World Heritage Site, the Park is spread across 1,148 square kilometers with the elevation ranging from 1,800 metres to 8,848 metres.