[ti:Nepal Increases Cost of Permits to Climb Everest]
[al:As It Is]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2025-02-14]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]The government of Nepal has increased the cost of a permit to climb Mount Everest by about one-third.
[00:11.98]Officials say the price increase aims to help reduce pollution and increase safety on the world's highest mountain.
[00:23.50]The director of Nepal's tourism department is Narayan Prasad Regmi.
[00:31.41]He told the French news agency AFP the cost for a permit in the popular spring climbing season will increase from $11,000 to $15,000. 
[00:49.58]Regmi noted the price had remained the same for about 10 years, so the government decided it was time to make a change.
[01:02.17]The costs, or fees, for climbing during less popular and more difficult times of year -- such as during winter or the summer monsoon rains -- have also increased. 
[01:18.59]This includes an increase from $5,500 to $7,500 during the autumn climbing season.
[01:31.83]Thousands of climbers come to Nepal each year. 
[01:36.74]The country is home to eight of 14 of the world's tallest mountains over 8,000 meters. 
[01:46.13]Everest is 8,849-meters tall and sits on the border between Nepal and China.
[01:57.91]Foreign climbers spend tens of thousands of dollars on their efforts to climb Everest.
[02:05.94]More than 400 people bought climbing permits for Everest last year. 
[02:13.40]This brought in around $4 million to the government.
[02:19.11]Nepal uses the money to remove waste from the mountain and to finance search and rescue operations.
[02:28.83]Some mountain climbing companies worry the higher price could lower the number of climbers wanting to climb Everest from the Nepalese side. 
[02:41.78]The companies warn that some climbers might decide to climb Everest through China.
[02:50.42]"Some climbers might shift to Tibet where the facilities are much better," said Mingma G Sherpa.
[02:59.46]He runs the Imagine Nepal mountaineering company and says Nepal must use the money to improve conditions.
[03:11.48]"Our government just increases the royalty, but doesn't do much.
[03:18.72]It needs to also provide support to the climbers and guides," he added.
[03:26.00]Some groups have criticized Nepal for permitting too many climbers on Everest while not doing enough to keep the mountain clean.
[03:38.72]Last year, Nepal's government ordered all Everest climbers to carry trackers and bags to remove their human waste.
[03:50.69]The government approved the fee increase in January, but it was first published on February 3.
[04:01.54]I'm Andrew Smith.