Everest climbers are unlikely to welcome the move, as Nepal has decided to increase the permit fee by more than 35%. The cash-strapped nation has made it more expensive for mountaineers for the first time in nearly a decade.
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Nepal generates income through permit fees and sees this as a key opportunity for employment as well. The nation significantly relies on revenue from foreign mountaineers.
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According to Reuters, a senior official of the department of tourism said that a permit to climb 8849 metres of Mount Everest will cost a climber $15000 which was earlier $11000. The country has hiked the fee by 35%.
The official told the news agency that the permit fee had not been reviewed for a long time and they have made an increase now.
As per reports, the new rates will come into effect in September and will apply to the climbing season of April-May. The government has also increased fees by 36% for the less popular September-November season and the rarely chosen December-February season, with fees set at $7500 and $3500, respectively.
Over hundred climbers participate to scale the Mount Everest each year.