According to authorities, all visitors trekking in Nepal’s Himalayas must engage local guides. The law, which takes effect on April 1, is meant to protect travelers and create more employment, according to dpa. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), which made the decision, said on Tuesday that tourists must hire a guide or porter from a recognized trekking firm. On designated hiking routes under the Trekkers’ Information Management System, all trekkers, including free independent trekkers, must get NTB approval. Climbing has its own rules, therefore the new rule won’t influence it.
“It will help ensure a safe trekking experience while allowing us to keep track of trekkers and provide timely rescue services in case of any emergency situations,” Lamichhane said, adding that the decision was made in consultation with the Trekking Agencies’ Association and Joint Tourism Trade Unions Forum. According to Lamichhane, NTB gets 40 to 50 cases of missing hikers each year, and officials typically have trouble finding and rescuing them. Formerly, travelers could hike alone or with unregistered guides or companions. Nilhari Bastola, head of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, said the new law will assist hikers and the tourism business. “The bulk of trekkers who die or disappear are those who travel alone without a guide or understanding the terrain. “A local guide may have prevented these tragedies,” he claimed. Nepal’s remote hiking trails typically lack roads, connectivity, and human populations. Due to the terrain and lack of infrastructure, rescuing hikers in these places might take hours or days. The move is anticipated to increase local tourism and offer thousands of guides and porters with jobs after the COVID-19 outbreak slowed travel.
While most stakeholders in Nepal have lauded the decision as a win-win for visitors and high-altitude labor, there are fears that the new regulation may prevent tourists from entering Nepal and hurt the economy recovering from the coronavirus outbreak. The NTB said that 73,255 air tourists visited Nepal in February, nearly four times more than in the same month the year before. The Annapurna Circuit below Mount Annapurna and the Everest Base Camp trek in the slopes of Mount Everest are two of Nepal’s most famous trekking routes.
