International Everest Day to be celebrated on May 29

0

The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Nepal Tourism Board and other tourism organisations will be celebrating the Third International Everest (Sagarmatha) Day on May 29 by organising various programmes.

Nepal has been celebrating May 29 as International Everest Day for the last three years to commemorate the first ascent of the tallest peak in the world.

On that day, Everest summiteers will be honoured by presenting them with medals amid a grand function. The Tenzing Hillary Award will be given to the person who has contributed substantially to the development of the Khumbu region.

Likewise, Apa Sherpa, 20-time Everest climber, will be honoured as goodwill ambassador of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) by the SAARC secretary general. Sherpa will also be named goodwill ambassador of Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Various programmes and activities are scheduled to be organised in different parts of the country and abroad to celebrate the occasion. Recently, the government has announced providing gratis visa to the climbers of Mt. Everest and Dhaulagiri in a bid to attract mountaineers and promote the upcoming Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

The government has also made decision to waive 50 percent royalty for the climbers of Dhaulagiri.