KATHMANDU, Sept 8: Chumanuwri Rural Municipality in Gorkha has announced that it will begin collecting fees from both domestic and international tourists visiting the Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA).
Manoj Lamichhane, the chief administrative officer of Chumanuwri Rural Municipality, said that the decision was made after discussions with the rural municipality's representatives, political parties, tourism professionals, and stakeholders on September 5.
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The rural municipality has issued a statement informing that, according to the municipality's Financial Act 2081, a fee of Rs 1,000 will be charged from foreign tourists while Nepali tourists will be charged Rs 200 per person.
According to the statement, while the National Trust for Nature Conservation and the Department of Immigration have been collecting fees from tourists visiting the MCA area in accordance with the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, the rural municipality has been unable to collect the expected taxes due to its lack of authority to charge fees. Additionally, the Trust has not distributed the collected fees.
The statement further reads, "The trekking fees collected by the rural municipality will be invested in the environmental conservation of Chumanuwri and the Manaslu Conservation Area, as well as in promoting tourism in the region."