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Nepal reopens Himalayan peaks to climbers
Nepal is now inviting trekkers to scale Mt Everest and other Himalayan peaks this autumn after the country came out of lockdown restrictions.
Mira Acharya, of the Tourism Department of Nepal, said international flights will be able to resume from August 17.
Trekking tourism was halted nearly five months ago due to the pandemic and officials hope to reignite tourism during the autumn season.
Hotels, restaurants and casinos have also reopened, said Kamal Prasad Bhattarai, a tourism ministry spokesman.
"The next climbing season is in autumn, which is still more than a month away, he said.
It has already started issuing climbing permits again.
It is unclear how successful Nepal will be in attracting tourists this autumn.
Due to the time needed for planning major expeditions, most visitors will likely be trekking in the lower peaks this autumn.
"Some climbers to smaller mountains may come but I have doubts about big ones," said Ang Tshering Sherpa, a Kathmandu based expedition organiser.
The autumn climbing season in Nepal lasts from September to November.
The suspension of the popular April-May season hit the industry hard with millions in lost revenue while thousands of sherpas, guides and porters were impacted.
by Ray Montgomery, Asia Pacific
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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