Free female trekking guide training has begun in Garma, Rural Municipality-7, Solukhumbu, in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board and the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP) run under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The 15-day residential training, conducted with a focus on women empowerment and sustainable tourism development, is attended by 28 women selected from across the country. The board has stated that the participants in the training conducted through the Nepal Mountain Academy will be trained on technical skills related to trekking, security management, first aid, conduct in the Himalayan region and quality practices of professional service delivery. At the inauguration program, Solukhumbu District Coordination Officer Chandra Singh Shrestha, Solududhkunda Municipality Administration Chief Tukti Sherpa, Ward No. 7 Chairperson Sonam Sherpa, Ward Member Balkaji Karki and Principal of No. Vocational Training Center Lakpa Rinji Sherpa expressed the view that the increasing attraction of women in the tourism sector will help make Himalayan tourism safe, reliable and inclusive. They mentioned that the capacity development programs being run by the Tourism Board have been laying an important foundation for the promotion of sustainable tourism from the local to the national level. According to the board, the increasing participation of women in the trekking sector is necessary for the development of inclusive tourism. The board says that such training will help establish women as confident, skilled and professionally competent trekking guides. The board is committed to expanding such programs in the coming years, increasing opportunities for community-based tourism and women's economic empowerment.