NEW RULES FOR TREKKING IN NEPAL – LOCAL GUIDES NOW MANDATORY

Ever since the April 18 Everest tragedy, when 16 Sherpas died in an avalanche, the Nepal Tourism Board has been grappling with how to make extreme tourism safer within the country.

After months of active discontent from local entrepreneurs, the board has made decisions about how to monitor foreign recreation, trekking in particular.

The unrest ended yesterday with news outlets reporting that protesters’ demands had been met: an ousting of Subash Nirola, the board’s chief and active CEO; management of a workers’ welfare fund; and a new rule stating that all foreign trekkers must be accompanied by local guides.

In addition to safety concerns, those within the tourism industry were concerned about financial irregularities within the board and Nirola’s possible abuse of authority. A probe into the board’s finances began Thursday.

The Joint Tourism Coordination Committee, headed up by Ramesh Dhalama (also president of Trekking Agents Association of Nepal), has agreed to stop campaigning for change within the board.

Three senior directors are taking over the board, which is resuming services today. Although this is good news for Nepal’s tourism industry, it won’t make up for financial losses due to an early end to the spring season.

TRANSPORT SYNDICATE ON BENI-JOMSOM ROAD BROKEN FINALLY

Are you planning to visit Mustang in a private vehicle or a hired jeep? If yes, you can now be sure that there will not be any disturbances during the journey like in the past. If you face any disturbance, the regional administration will immediately swing into action.

The Western Regional Administration Office has finally managed to break the syndicate on the 75-kilometer Beni-Jomsom road enforced by the local transport entrepreneurs. Now onwards, one can drive their vehicles on the road without any obstacles. The office has said it would take immediate action if anyone obstructs movement of vehicles on the road.

“If anyone obstructs movement of vehicles on the road, we will not call them for negotiation like in the past. We will immediately initiate legal action against them,” Karki said, “This is not a private road. No one has the authority to create disturbance on public road.”

The office has directed local administration to do the needful for ensuring smooth movement of vehicles on the road.

Now onwards, passengers needn´t change vehicles between Beni and Jomsom. Earlier, they had to change vehicles at Ghasa.

“We will immediate action against those collecting excessive fare or creating problem to passengers. If passengers are disembarked from private vehicles and forced to board local vehicles, those involved in such act will be dealt with seriously,” he added.

Karki, who was recently appointed as Western Regional Administrator, said his first priority was to end the transporters´ syndicate on Beni-Jomsom road.

“I will not allow anyone to enforce syndicate system on public roads as I am aware of the consequences of such system,” added Karki. He assured that any type of vehicles can ply the Beni-Jomson road now onwards.

The Western Regional Administration Office is also doing necessary homework for determining the standards for tourist vehicles. It is having discussion with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation on whether tourist vehicles need to get route permit like other vehicles and whether tourist vehicles registered before 2012 need to follow standards issued in 2012.

The office has fixed fare on Beni-Jomsom road at Rs 800 on temporary basis. It has asked Dhaulagiri Transportation Management Committee to fix new fare by mid-August.

Earlier, local transport entrepreneurs were charging arbitrary fares. They also used to charge fare from passengers traveling in tourist vehicles.

Local transport entrepreneurs are also positive about fixing new fare. “Local transport entrepreneurs have expressed commitment to not obstruct movement of private vehicles on Beni-Jomsom road,” Madhu Karanjit, officiating chief of the committee, said.

NEPALI WOMEN CLIMB MT DENALI

Members of Seven Summits Women Team reached the summit of Mt Denali – the highest mountain on North America – on June 24.

The women are on a bid to climb the highest peaks in all seven continents.
According to team leader Shaili Basnet, Chunu Shrestha, Asha Kumari Singh, Nimdoma Sherpa and Pema Diki Sherpa, along with cameraperson Ang Tshering Lama, reached the summit at 1 pm (local time). Other members — Pujan Acharya, Maya Gurung and team leader Shailee Basnet, could not continue with the climb because of health issues.
The team aims to complete their campaign by climbing Vinson Massif – the tallest peak on Antarctica – this December.

TAAN has provided financial assistance to the team.

Nepal marks 80th anniversary of first flight over Mt. Everest

Nepal is marking 80th anniversary of two Scots airmen flying over the Mount Everest on two Westland Wallace biplanes for the first time in human history.

For a group of people who went on a sightseeing trip to commemorate the first flight over the highest mountain on Earth, here on April 3, it was fun and excitement, thanks to the progress the aviation industry has made. It was an adventure filled with danger for the two airmen 80 years ago.

The one-hour flight took the group of people close to peaks such as Gauri Shankar, Nuptuse, Lhotse, Amadablam, Makalu and Mt. Everest. Sightseeing flights to Himalayan Mountains are one of the major attractions that Nepal's tourism industry has to offer to wealthy foreign tourists.

"This is a very special day to commemorate the first flight to the Everest 80 years ago today. At 10:05 a.m. my grandfather was one of the two pilots to fly over the summit of the Mt. Everest," said Charles Douglas-Hamilton, grandson of Lord Clydesdale, one of the pioneering pilots.

The flights, which made international headlines at the time, broke new records at sustained flight at 33,000 feet, stated a press statement issued by BAE systems. BAE systems Regional Aircraft is the direct descendant of Scottish Aviation, a company founded by the two pioneers Lord Clydesdale and David Mclntyre.

Yeti Airlines, which organized the commemorative flight has a fleet of seven Jetstream 41 aircraft manufactured by BAE Systems and runs commercial flights for sightseeing of the highest mountain.

Three Chinese mountaineers rescued

Three Chinese mountaineers who were taken ill at the base camp of Mt. Kanchanjanga (28, 208 feet) have been rescued and sent to the capital by helicopter for treatment, state-owned news agency RSS reports.

Those rescued mountaineers are Yangzechngul, Uangzhang and Dengluo (woman), according to Chief District Officer of Taplejung, Kiran Thapa.

They fell sick on May 20 at the fourth base camp at an altitude of 7,400 meters in course of coming down following its successful ascent. The mountain is the third highest peak in the world and lies in Taplejung, a district in eastern Nepal.

Meanwhile, bodies of the mountaineers who died on Mt. Kanchanjanga five days ago are yet to be retrieved.

According to the police, they are facing challenges in retrieving the bodies due to adverse weather and geographical difficulty, but efforts were underway to that end.

Five mountaineers including two Nepalis had gone missing after slipping on the face of the mountain last Monday. They were found dead on Thursday. The incident took place at an altitude of 7,500 meters while they were descending after climbing the mountain.