The Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) is one of Nepal's top trekking destinations. Located at an altitude of 4,130 meters above sea level in the Annapurna Rural Municipality of Kaski district, it is a five-day trekking trail. This route is immensely popular not only among international tourists visiting Nepal but also among Nepali trekkers. Thousands of Nepalis and foreigners visit the ABC, many by chartered helicopter flights. In the last fiscal year alone, 270 helicopter flights were conducted to the base camp, excluding rescue and relief missions. For years, local residents and elected representatives had advocated for restricting such unauthorized flights, but without success.
The Annapurna Base Camp lies within the protected area of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Both the rural municipality and ACAP have tried to regulate flights to the base camp. In April 2023, the Annapurna Rural Municipality introduced the Annapurna Base Camp Helicopter Flight Tourism Fee Management Procedure. The objective of this initiative was to regulate helicopter flights, except for rescue and relief operations, at the base camp. Prior to this, indiscriminate helicopter landings had negatively impacted the environment in and around the ABC area, leading to noise and air pollution, and disrupting the local ecosystem. Two years after the procedure was adopted, helicopter companies have started to comply with the regulations. At least three companies — Simrik Air, Air Dynasty, and Heli Everest — have agreed to register with the municipality and pay a fee of Rs. 10,000 per flight. Under the new guidelines, a maximum of 12 flights per day is allowed, although emergency rescue flights are exempt from both registration and fees. Helicopters operating between Pokhara and ABC mostly fly early in the morning, between 7 AM and 11 AM. Previously, these chartered helicopters were not required to pay landing fees.
Helicopter companies must pay ACAP a fee of Rs. 3,000 per flight to operate in the base camp area. However, while the helicopter companies complied with the ACAP policy and paid the fee, the companies were not paying fees to the rural municipality until recently. While ACAP does not require registration for helicopter companies, the rural municipality has implemented stricter controls to protect the environment and improve local infrastructure. Tourists visiting the Annapurna region are also required to pay entry fees. Travelers from SAARC member countries pay Rs. 1,000 per person, while those from non-SAARC countries pay Rs. 3,000 per person. The environmental impact of these helicopter flights has been significant, affecting forests, mountain ranges, birds, and wildlife. Despite the restrictions, there were reports of unauthorized flights masquerading as rescue missions. The municipality’s procedure aims to curb such practices while increasing its revenue. The funds generated from the Rs. 10,000 fee per flight will be used to develop tourism infrastructure in Annapurna Ward-11. Additionally, 3% of the collected landing fees will go towards the operation of the Tourism Information Center. This mode, adopted by the Annapurna Rural Municipality can be replicated by other rural municipalities. All they need to do is to identify potential revenue streams and come up with implementable strategies to generate additional revenues. Now that the helicopter companies willing to operate chartered flights have agreed to play by the rule, it is only expected that the municipality will best utilize the money generated from the flight fees to the best use benefiting the community, most importantly the ecosystem around the base camp.