With the start of the spring mountaineering season, the Department of Tourism has established a temporary field office at the Everest Base Camp.

The initiative aims to effectively monitor and facilitate safe, sustainable and responsible mountaineering activities in the Khumbu region, said Himal Gautam, Director of the Department of Tourism.

The temporary office will serve as a coordination center for climbers, expedition organizers and support teams. According to the department, it will play a key role in ensuring compliance with mountaineering regulations, as well as environmental management and strengthening on-site communication during the busy climbing season.

The step has been taken in view of the increasing crowding, waste management and security challenges in the Everest region, officials of the Department of Tourism said.

The department expects that a direct presence at the base camp will enable real-time decision-making and make emergency rescue operations more effective.

The temporary office has been given to Khimlal Gautam, Deputy Secretary to the Government of Nepal. Gautam, who works in the Survey Department and is also an Everest climber, will coordinate all activities from the base camp.

‘Our presence in the Everest region will not only make mountaineering safer and more organized, but will also make a significant contribution to the conservation of the Himalayan environment. We are committed to promoting responsible tourism,’ said Gautam, Director of the Department of Tourism.

Meanwhile, Nepal has reported a significant increase in both international mountaineering participation and royalty income in the 2026 spring mountaineering season. This shows that the global attraction to the Himalayas is still strong despite the high risk and difficult geographical conditions.

According to the Department of Tourism, releasing data from Falgun 17 to Baisakh 10, 944 people from 75 countries, including Nepal, have obtained permits for 30 different mountains in Nepal. Of these, 701 are men and 243 are women. All of them have joined 111 climbing teams and gone to climb the mountain.

China is at the forefront of the participation of climbers by country. From where 127 climbers are participating. This is followed by the United States (100), the United Kingdom (64), Russia (60) and India (71). There is also good participation from European countries such as Germany, France, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. In addition, the participation of Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Nepal and Vietnam is stable in the data.

According to Director Gaitam, this data shows that Nepal's adventure tourism sector is moving towards reform and expansion after the unstable global travel trend seen in recent years. Meanwhile, he said that the collection of salami fees this year is also the highest collection so far.

According to the analysis of revenue and climbing permits, Mount Everest, the highest peak of Nepal, was the biggest contributor. It has already collected about Rs 899 million in royalty revenue by attracting 411 climbers through 41 teams alone. This is a large part of the total income for this season.

Among other major mountains, Lhotse (8,516 meters) has collected about Rs 38.9 million, Makalu Rs 24 million and Dhaulagiri Rs 13.5 million. The department said that Nepal has collected more than Rs 1.41 billion in royalty fees from the mountaineering sector this season, including Annapurna, Ama Dablam and Nupse. This shows that high mountain tourism is still important for Nepal's economy.