'Recognise the sector as national industry'
KATHMANDU, JULY 19
Nepal Mountaineering Association, the country's only alpine club, has asked the government to introduce a one-door policy to streamline all activities related to mountaineering tourism.
Mountaineers who obtain climbing permits for different mountains should also be allowed to indulge in other adventure sports, such as paragliding, skydiving, and skiing on the same mountains, NMA President Nima Nuru Sherpa said while submitting a charter of demands to Minister of Culture Tourism, and Civil Aviation Jeeven Ram Shrestha.
NMA President Sherpa said it was the need of the hour to recognise mountaineering tourism as a national industry.
As the existing system of deploying a liaison officer for each expedition on different mountains has turned out to be ineffective, NMA suggested that the MoCTCA set up a contact office deploying up to six government employees at the base camps of mountains, including Mt Everest, Mt Makalu, and Mt Manaslu, to monitor climbing activities throughout the climbing season.
"Such provision will certainly help mountaineering expeditions run smoothly and get rid of the highly criticised LO system," Sherpa claimed.
NMA, which manages 27 peaks between 5,500 m and 6,500 m, also asked the government to award 176 more unclimbed peaks to it. "If NMA is given permission to manage these peaks, it will help us generate more revenue and run skill-based training activities," Sherpa said. He added that NMA would promote all peaks globally using platforms of international alpine associations, including the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation and the Union of Asian Alpine Association.
NMA has asked the government to formulate a policy to conduct a welfare programme for supporting the families of mountaineers who died on mountains. It also sought climbing allowances for mountaineers who suffer from severe injuries while climbing mountains.
"The government should allocate a separate arriving and departure lobby for summiteers at all international and domestic airports," Sherpa demanded.
Renowned foreign climbers should also be given fast track services at international airports, he added. A yearly calendar should be prepared to run mountain cleaning campaigns and mountain communities should be made aware of mountain environment and the adverse impact of the current climate crisis, he said.
NMA has also sought amendment to the current insurance policy for mountaineers and mountain workers. "If anyone has an insurance policy of 90 days for Mt Everest, that must be valid for all other mountains during the same period," Sherpa said.
Shrestha said he was committed to working for the betterment of the country's tourism sector. The ministry was positive about the demands of NMA and it would address them at the earliest, he said. "MoCTCA will also formulate the shortterm, mid-term, and long-term plans for the revival of the tourism industry which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis," Shrestha added.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 20, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
