Nepal Reopens to Foreign Mountain Climbers
2020-11-07
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1Nepal says it is reopening to foreign visitors seeking to climb and trek the country's famous mountains.
2The country has been closed to foreign visitors for the past seven months because of the coronavirus crisis.
3Nepal's tourism industry has suffered as a result of the restriction.
4The industry employs an estimated 800,000 people.
5Nepal is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world -- including the tallest, Mount Everest.
6Rudra Singh Tamang is director general of Nepal's Department of Tourism.
7He told The Associated Press that only mountaineers and trekkers who have received a permit to take part in such activities would be let into the country.
8"We are opening to a sector of visitors who we know we can handle and manage."
9The visitors will no longer be able to get a visa upon arrival to Nepal.
10They will be required to provide details of their trip before they arrive and receive government approval.
11The visitors must employ local equipment companies and prove that they have health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment.
12Visitors will also be required to take a coronavirus test before leaving their home country.
13They must also stay for a week in quarantine at a hotel in Nepal.
14Visitors must then pass another coronavirus test before they are permitted to go up the mountains.
15Local workers supporting mountaineering teams will also be required to take coronavirus tests and prove they have been living in areas with no infections for the past two weeks.
16"We are trying to revive the tourism industry that was badly hit by the pandemic, but we are not taking any chances or any risks," Tamang said.
17The spring season is when foreign mountain climbers come to Nepal to attempt to reach the highest peaks.
18The autumn season is a popular time for foreign visitors coming to trek mountain trails.
19This year's spring mountaineering season was canceled in March because of the pandemic.
20Nepal has reported 176,500 coronavirus infections and 984 deaths.
21The nation is running short on hospital beds.
22The government has asked patients with less than life-threatening cases to stay at home in quarantine.
23The pandemic hit as Nepal was preparing to double the number of tourist arrivals.
24A government campaign had declared 2020 as the "Visit Nepal" year.
25People in the mountains have been hardest hit. Workers normally depend on the busy spring and fall seasons to make enough money to last them all year.
26Earlier this fall season, a team of mountaineers from Bahrain was given special permission to climb Mount Lobuche and Mount Manaslu.
27The climbs were permitted as a test of the new visitor rules.
28Tamang said the country's mountaineering community welcomed Nepal's decision to reopen to some visitors.
29"We need to give a small ray of hope to the people in the adventure tourism industry that there is still a future somewhere to look forward to," Tamang said.
30Ang Tshering Sherpa heads local mountaineering company Asian Trekking in Kathmandu.
31He told The Associated Press, "We in the adventure tourism industry are very excited that the country is finally open."
32He added that his company had already begun receiving calls from foreign visitors who would like to come to Nepal.
33He said there is great interest in the spring 2021 climbing season, especially for Mount Everest.
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Nepal says it is reopening to foreign visitors seeking to climb and trek the country's famous mountains. 2The country has been closed to foreign visitors for the past seven months because of the coronavirus crisis. Nepal's tourism industry has suffered as a result of the restriction. The industry employs an estimated 800,000 people. 3Nepal is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world -- including the tallest, Mount Everest. 4Rudra Singh Tamang is director general of Nepal's Department of Tourism. He told The Associated Press that only mountaineers and trekkers who have received a permit to take part in such activities would be let into the country. "We are opening to a sector of visitors who we know we can handle and manage." 5The visitors will no longer be able to get a visa upon arrival to Nepal. They will be required to provide details of their trip before they arrive and receive government approval. The visitors must employ local equipment companies and prove that they have health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment. 6Visitors will also be required to take a coronavirus test before leaving their home country. They must also stay for a week in quarantine at a hotel in Nepal. Visitors must then pass another coronavirus test before they are permitted to go up the mountains. 7Local workers supporting mountaineering teams will also be required to take coronavirus tests and prove they have been living in areas with no infections for the past two weeks. 8"We are trying to revive the tourism industry that was badly hit by the pandemic, but we are not taking any chances or any risks," Tamang said. 9The spring season is when foreign mountain climbers come to Nepal to attempt to reach the highest peaks. The autumn season is a popular time for foreign visitors coming to trek mountain trails. This year's spring mountaineering season was canceled in March because of the pandemic. 10Nepal has reported 176,500 coronavirus infections and 984 deaths. The nation is running short on hospital beds. The government has asked patients with less than life-threatening cases to stay at home in quarantine. 11The pandemic hit as Nepal was preparing to double the number of tourist arrivals. A government campaign had declared 2020 as the "Visit Nepal" year. 12People in the mountains have been hardest hit. Workers normally depend on the busy spring and fall seasons to make enough money to last them all year. 13Earlier this fall season, a team of mountaineers from Bahrain was given special permission to climb Mount Lobuche and Mount Manaslu. The climbs were permitted as a test of the new visitor rules. 14Tamang said the country's mountaineering community welcomed Nepal's decision to reopen to some visitors. "We need to give a small ray of hope to the people in the adventure tourism industry that there is still a future somewhere to look forward to," Tamang said. 15Ang Tshering Sherpa heads local mountaineering company Asian Trekking in Kathmandu. He told The Associated Press, "We in the adventure tourism industry are very excited that the country is finally open." 16He added that his company had already begun receiving calls from foreign visitors who would like to come to Nepal. He said there is great interest in the spring 2021 climbing season, especially for Mount Everest. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 19We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. 20_______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22trek - v. to make a journey by walking 23sector - n. one part of a country's economy 24manage - v. to deal with something successfully 25quarantine - n. a period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading 26revive - v. make something from the past exist again 27trail - n. a path through the countryside, often where people walk 28adventure - n. an exciting and sometimes dangerous experience