KATHMANDU, May 1: Nepal has drastically cut the cost of climbing Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks to try and attract more mountaineers to the country, an official said on Thursday.

“The government has approved the decision to cut the royalty fee for climbing Everest by 75 per cent during winter and summer seasons and 50 per cent during the autumn season,” tourism official Krishna Prasad Gyawali said.

Prices for the spring season, by far Everest’s busiest due to a brief summiting window before monsoon rains, will remain the same. But the number of people allowed on a $70,000 permit will be raised to 15 from 12, the official said.

“Prices for permits on the other 326 peaks over 5,500 metres that are open for climbing have been slashed on a similar basis,” said Gyawali.

As well as the 8,848-metre Everest, Nepal has another seven of the world’s 14 highest peaks. Mountaineering brings much needed hard currency into the impoverished nation sandwiched between India and China.

“To encourage mountaineering in unexplored and backward areas, the government also decided to allow mountaineering free of charge in the mid-west and far-west regions for the next five years,” said Gyawali.

“Most of the time, people only climb the famous peaks -- Everest, Langtang and the Annapurnas — while many other mountains with great potential are ignored. We want to end this trend,” the official said.—AFP