Everest Park Fees Tripled
The entrance fee to the Sagarmatha National Park has been increased by the Nepalese government.
Posted:
28 June 2012by
Jon
Entrance permits to the Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal - the area where Everest or Sagamartha is located - have been tripled in price by the Nepalese government according to news reports.
We're indebted to Ed Douglas for pointing out the news on twitter - the basic entry fee for the park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for foreign trekkers has been increased from 1,000 rupees to 3,000 rupees per person, that's an increase from around £7 to £21 - hardly a deal breaker given the cost of flying to Nepal in the first place.
In addition, Nepali porters, guides and tourists who previously didn't have to pay to enter the park, now have to pay 25 rupees per person, a move which- according to the Review Nepal web site - has led to 'tourists and travel agencies' expressing 'dismay at the sudden hike in the entry fee.'
The bigger picture is that Nepal is a poor country and largely dependent on tourism for foreign currency, so while the hike may seem substantial in percentage terms, it's understandable in the context of a country where around 70% of the population is employed in agriculture and almost a third of people live below the poverty line according to the CIA World Factbook.
More details at www.reviewnepal.com/detail_news.php?id=4096.
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