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Nepal to ban independent trekking
Government officials in Nepal have announced that, from September, it will be compulsory for all tourists who want to trek in the country, to be accompanied by at least one government registered porter or guide.
Trekkers travelling in groups are already required to do so, but previously solo adventurers were permitted to explore the mountains alone. The new rule is likely to come into force next month.
The decision was taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs and has been welcomed by the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), which says it will help to ensure the safety of tourists and the control of illegal trekking businesses.
It follows the death of 23-year-old Belgian Debbie Maveau, whose decapitated body was found on June 14 beneath a hiking trail in the Langtang National Park, near the Tibetan border. This incident followed a number of other assaults and disappearances including that of an American, Aubrey Sacco, who went missing in 2010.

Mohan Lamsal, general secretary of TAAN has said, “The decision will help promote Nepal as a safe destination for tourists at a time when international media are questioning the safety of foreigners in Nepal.”
The new policy will involve an additional fee of $10 per day for Free Individual Trekkers (FIT), which Anjan Thapa, treasurer of TAAN has called, “a very nominal amount which won’t effect tourist arrivals.”
According to statistics collated by Tribhuvan International Airport, tourist arrivals in Nepal by air increased by 9.2 per cent last month, compared with July 2011. Total arrivals in the first seven months of 2012 increased by 18.5 per cent.

29 teams attempting Everest this season
Twenty-nine expedition teams (as of April 19) from different countries are attempting Mt Everest (8848m) -- the tallest peak on earth -- this spring.

According to Tourism Industry Division under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, 315 foreign mountaineers have received permission to climb Mt Everest.

Last year, the government had permitted 335 foreign mountaineers of 30 teams. Of them 181 had reached the summit of Mt Everest.

The spring climbing season starts from mid-March and runs through May.

Officials of the division said members of most of the expedition teams have already left for Khumbu Region for acclimatization.

The government has mobilized Rs 254 million in revenue from Everest climbing permits this season. Last year, it had mobilized Rs 270 million from climbing permits.

According to officials, royalty fee to climb Mt Everest ranges from $15,000 to $70,000 per expedition. The permit fee depends on the size of the team and route. An expedition having 15 members, for example, has to pay $10,000 per person as permit fee. Twenty-nine expedition teams from different countries are attempting Mt Everest (8848m) -- the tallest peak on earth -- this spring.

According to Tourism Industry Division under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, 315 foreign mountaineers have received permission to climb Mt Everest.

Last year, the government had permitted 335 foreign mountaineers of 30 teams. Of them 181 had reached the summit of Mt Everest.

The spring climbing season starts from mid-March and runs through May.

Officials of the division said members of most of the expedition teams have already left for Khumbu Region for acclimatization.

The government has mobilized Rs 254 million in revenue from Everest climbing permits this season. Last year, it had mobilized Rs 270 million from climbing permits.

According to officials, royalty fee to climb Mt Everest ranges from $15,000 to $70,000 per expedition. The permit fee depends on the size of the team and route. An expedition having 15 members, for example, has to pay $10,000 per person as permit fee.

Number of tourists up 6% in Feb
Tourist arrivals to Nepal via air increased by 6 percent in February compared to arrival figures of the same month last year.

According to figures released by Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), a total of 45,123 foreign tourists entered the country through aerial route. Arrivals from Asia (other than South Asia) recorded healthy growth of 46 percent, thanks to robust growth in arrivals from China (135 percent), Malaysia (288.1 percent) and Singapore (111.9 percent), respectively. However, arrivals from Japan, South Korea and Thailand have registered negative growth of 20.1 percent, 29.4 percent, and 0.3 percent respectively.

Arrivals from South Asia region declined by 15.2 percent despite growth in arrivals from Pakistan (44.3 percent) and Sri Lanka (35.3 percent). However, arrivals from India, which is the largest source market for Nepal, witnessed a drop of 18.2 percent. Visitor arrivals from Bangladesh also declined by 5.3 percent.

European markets registered negative growth of 5.5 percent with major destinations showing mixed reaction in terms of visitor arrivals. Arrivals from Germany and the Netherlands were up by 8.3 percent and 21 percent, respectively while arrivals from UK, France, Italy, Switzerland and Russia declined b 6 percent, 13.7 percent, 31.8 percent, 8.7 percent and 8 percent respectively.

Similarly, tourist arrivals from USA (11.2 percent), Canada (42.2 percent) and New Zealand (44.8 percent) increased during the period. However, arrivals from Australia went down by 5.5 percent.

Mustang among top 3 regions to travel in 2013
Popular travel guidebook Lonely Planet has included Mustang among the top three regions to travel in 2013.
Earlier, Lonely Plant had featured Nepal as one of the top ten Best Value Destinations for 2013.
“It is a last chance to see this ´forbidden kingdom´ as the completion of a road connection Mustang to China in the north and the rest of Nepal to the south will make all the difference to this remote region,” Lonely Planet states.
In Best Value Destinations 2013, Lonely Plant had earlier said that with number of visitors steadily rising, Nepal remains a tremendous option for budget travelers. It had said that travelers in Nepal can live on the price of a Starbucks latte or two.
Despite being the cheapest destination, the travel guidebook acknowledged that Nepal is the best-value spot for Himalayan hiking and is definitely a contender for offering the most astonishing rewards for the least upfront investment of anywhere in the world.
As Lonely Planet serves as the most referred travel guidebook by tourists worldwide, inclusion of Nepal in two of its popular categories is expected to carve a distinct impact in the country´s tourism industry.
Other destinations that feature in Lonely Planet´s Best in Travel 2013 list are Corsica (France), The Negev (Israel), The Kuon (Canada), Chachapoyas and Kuelap (Peru), The Gulf Coast (USA), Carinthia (Austria), Palawan (the Philippines), Inland Sea (Japan), and Campania (Italy).

Tourist arrivals rise 9.8 percent in 2012
Tourist arrivals to Nepal via air in 2012 increased by 9.8 percent, compared to arrivals figures of 2011. The year 2011, which was observed as Nepal Tourism Year (NTY), had posted 21.4 percent growth in the number of tourists.

According to statistics disseminated by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the country welcomed 598,204 foreign tourists in 2012. Arrivals from South Asia, which had posted healthy growth last year, grew by only 10.4 percent in 2012.

Tourist arrivals were growing at a healthy rate until May. But arrivals started suffering with the dissolution of Constituent Assembly (CA)) in May. Though things improved a bit in November, the month posted meager growth of 2.2 percent.

The statistics shows total arrivals from Asia, other than South Asia, grew by 15.1 percent during the year. The number of Chinese tourists posted the highest growth rate of 17.6 percent. More than 53,000 Chinese tourists visited the country in 2012.

The European market saw nominal growth of 4.5 percent compared to last year. Nepal welcomed around 161,000 European tourists in 2012, according to the statistics.

Likewise, tourist arrivals from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA grew by 24 percent, 20.3 percent, 7.5 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively.