In an effort to better manage and regulate the spring climbing season on Mount Everest, the Department of Tourism has set up a field office at Everest Base Camp. This temporary office aims to enhance safety, coordination, and monitoring during the busy ascent period, which attracts climbers from across the globe.
According to Liladhar Awasthi, Director of the Department of Tourism, the office has been established to ensure proper coordination and safety throughout the spring expedition season. “To organize and regulate Everest expeditions, we have set up a temporary field office at the base camp, as we have been doing since last year,” said Awasthi.
This field office will play a crucial role in facilitating mountaineering operations by overseeing permit verification, enforcing regulatory protocols, monitoring waste management, and coordinating emergency responses. It will also handle expedition reporting, resolve issues on-site, and serve as a communication hub between climbers, government authorities, and other stakeholders.
The government has also deployed liaison officers for each expedition group to enhance coordination and supervision. According to Director Awasthi, the office will be manned by five liaison officers, including two representatives from the Department of Tourism, one from the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), and one from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC). Additionally, the Himalayan Rescue Association will establish a health camp to provide primary medical care at the base camp.
So far this season, a total of 374 climbers from 37 expedition teams have received climbing permits to ascend Mount Everest. The Mountaineering Section of the Department of Tourism reported that a total royalty of NPR 640 million has been collected from various climbing expeditions this year. Out of this, NPR 550 million has come solely from Everest expeditions, reflecting the peak’s continued dominance in the mountaineering sector.
The establishment of this field office is part of the government’s ongoing effort to make Himalayan climbing safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible, especially in the world’s highest and most popular peak Mount Everest.
