World News | Nepal bans foreigners from trekking alone, mandates tour guides from April 1

By: Binod Prasad Official

Kathmandu [Nepal]March 3 (ANI): Nepal has decided to ban foreign trekkers from trekking alone from April 1, mandating guides on trekking paths/routes to ensure safety and well-being of visiting guests, says a senior official .

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Nepal Tourism Board director general Maniraj Lamichhane confirmed that the Nepal Tourism Board has made a decision on this, which will come into effect on April 1.

“This decision was made in the interest of tourists. When hiking alone, tourists often get lost and may face insecurity. To mitigate this, we have decided to ban solo hiking. Beginning April 1, Adventure Tours must have a guide,” Lamichhane told ANI.

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According to the NTB, about 50,000 tourists in Nepal trekked without guides or porters in 2019. These tourists hike by obtaining a trail permit and a Trekker Information Management System (TIMS) card.

The TIMS card is the basic trekking permit required for foreign tourists on adventure tourism. But the latest round of decisions also banned TIMS licenses without guidelines. “Tourists will have to hike through trekking companies,” Lamichhane added.

The board has also raised the price of TIMS license to Rs 2,000 per person. Before this, people in groups had to pay Rs 1,000 for a TIMS card, while those traveling alone had to pay Rs 2,000. The TIMS license for SAARC nationals has also been increased to Rs 1,000. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)