Overview
- The Tourism Bill has cleared Nepal’s National Assembly and now heads to the House of Representatives for a final vote ahead of the March 5 election.
- Permits for Everest would hinge on proof of a previous summit of a 7,000-meter-plus peak in Nepal, with the Department of Tourism verifying submitted certificates.
- Applicants would need a health certificate issued within the past month and a detailed mountaineering plan as part of permit submissions.
- The bill creates an Environment Protection and Mountaineers’ Welfare Fund, formalizes ascent certification rules, and lets authorities declare a missing climber dead after one year with no contact.
- All expedition staff would have to be Nepali citizens and operators would carry specified insurance, while supporters cite safety and cleanup goals and critics question enforcement and possible crowding shifts to other peaks, including concerns about the Nepal-only experience requirement.