ANNAPURNA (KASKI), Oct 28: Tourists opting for a trek along the route within Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality of Kaski will now be required to pay a tourism fee. 

Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality has decided to charge tourists for infrastructure construction and management. Chief Administrative Officer Gopikrishna Aryal said that separate fees will be charged for domestic and international tourists according to the decision taken recently.

The Rural Municipality has published a notice and informed the public about this matter. According to information, foreign tourists going to the trails within the municipality have to pay Rs 500 and Nepalis tourists have to pay Rs 100. He said that the Rural Municipality will charge a tourism service fee for the construction and management of facilities such as construction of general infrastructure, establishment of information centers, installation of solar lights, waste management and other facilities on the tourist trail.

Ram Bahadur Gurung, Ward Chairman of Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality-8, stated that the fee has been set according to Schedule 6, Section 7 of the Municipality's Economic Act 2080 BS in line with the rights of the local authorities.

He said that if the fee is fixed in such a way that there will be a record of trekking tourists. “We currently have four trekking routes. No one knows how many people visit these areas each year. This will help in documenting numbers of visitors,” Ward Chairman Gurung said. "We have decided to collect the fees as per the rules. The revenue generated from this will be invested for the development of physical infrastructures along the routes. We are planning to set up an information center here. It will also help in rescue operations in case of accidents.”

 
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