Pokhara — The Nepal Tourism Board announced on Tuesday that trekking arrivals surpassed 1.2 million for the April-to-October season, a new all-time high that surpassed the previous record set in 2019 by nearly eighteen percent.
The Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp trails together accounted for roughly sixty percent of the total. Officials also noted a surge in off-the-beaten-track destinations such as Upper Mustang, Kanchenjunga, and the Manaslu Circuit, which they attribute to aggressive social-media promotion and improved teahouse infrastructure.
The boom is welcome news for an industry battered by the pandemic, but conservationists warn that trail erosion and waste management have become critical. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said it would raise trekking permit fees by fifteen percent next season and ring-fence the additional revenue for trail rehabilitation.