Mountaineering season begins with surge in Sagarmatha permits
With the arrival of spring, mountaineering activities in Nepal have picked up momentum. According to Leeladhar Awasthi, the Information Officer at the Department of Tourism, a total of 381 climbers from 41 groups have been granted permission to climb various mountains between March 1 and April 9. The department has granted permits for 15 different peaks.
Awasthi told ApEx that a total of Rs 245.2m has been collected as royalty fees for mountain climbing permits. Among the climbers granted permission, 297 are men and 84 are women.
As always, Sagarmatha remains the main attraction for climbers. This season too, it has attracted the highest number of climbers, with 134 people from 14 groups receiving permits to climb the world’s highest peak.
Awasthi noted that during the same period last year, only three groups had obtained permits to climb Sagarmatha. This year, Rs 201.6m has been collected just from Sagarmatha climbing permits. According to the department, the highest number of permits for Everest has been issued to climbers from the United States (42), followed by China (19) and India (17).
Altogether, climbers from 57 different countries, including Nepal, have received mountaineering permits. Among them, only two climbers are Nepali. The highest number of permits—69—has gone to American climbers, followed by 51 from India and 43 from China. The department reports a highly encouraging increase in climbers for the first mountaineering season of 2025.
Currently, the department is issuing around five climbing permits per day, Awasthi added. In 2024, a total of 296 teams undertook mountain expeditions, including 46 teams for Everest alone. Of the Rs 780m collected in royalties last year, Rs 600m came from Sagarmatha permits alone, he said.
On Wednesday morning, an avalanche occurred at the Everest Base Camp, the world’s highest peak. Awasthi said the avalanche hit the Khumbu Icefall area, located between the base camp and Camp I. Due to the avalanche, climbers who were working on fixing ropes have been unable to proceed. Around 1,000 meters of fixed rope have been buried, along with four ladders. Awasthi stated that the situation is currently being monitored, and due to wind speeds of up to 35 km/h, the weather has turned unfavorable. He also mentioned that there was heavy snowfall on Tuesday.
Gold price hits new record at Rs 185, 000 per tola
The price of gold has reached an all-time high in the domestic market on Thursday, setting a new historical record.
According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Traders, the price of gold has increased by Rs 3, 900 per tola to reach Rs 185, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 181, 300 per tola on Thursday.
Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 905 per tola.
Trump trade war with China revives recession, bear market fears
President Donald Trump's trade war rattled global markets anew on Thursday as stocks and oil prices sank amid fears China may once again respond in kind with higher tariffs to match the latest levies imposed by the United States, Reuters reported.
Battered global markets and anxious global leaders welcomed Wednesday's reprieve when Trump suddenly decided to freeze most of his hefty new duties for 90 days.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to further assuage skeptics by telling a meeting of Trump's cabinet that more than 75 countries wanted to put in place a process for trade negotiations, and Trump himself expressed hope of a trade deal with China.
But the uncertainty in the meantime extended some of the most volatile trading since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reuters.
China Southern Airlines Optimizes Flight Layout, Enhances Transport Capacity and Promotes China-Nepal Cooperation
With the arrival of the summer-autumn flight season in 2025, China Southern Airlines will optimize its flight layout starting from April 10, further enhancing the capacity of the China-Nepal route and promoting economic, cultural, and tourism cooperation between the two countries to new heights.
According to the latest flight schedule, China Southern will resume its night flight from Kathmandu to Guangzhou from April to October. The planned departure time from Kathmandu is 23:30, with one flight per day, Southern Airlines reported.
At the same time, the daytime flight schedule will be adjusted, with the overall departure time pushed back by 50 minutes, resulting in the planned departure time from Kathmandu being adjusted to 12:50. This optimization will enhance flight connections and allow passengers to arrange their schedules more comfortably. It is worth noting that the operating frequency of China Southern's daytime flights has also been adjusted at different times as per Southern Airlines.
From April 10 to May, daytime flights will operate four times a week (on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). From June to August, daytime flights will be reduced to two times a week (on Sunday and Thursday). From September to October, daytime flights will resume daily. The number of seats planned by China Southern Airlines for this season has significantly increased. Approximately 45,000 seats will be offered from Kathmandu to Guangzhou, and over 46,000 seats from Guangzhou to Kathmandu. Compared to the same period last year, this represents an increase of more than 6,000 seats, a growth of 16.5% on the Kathmandu-to-Guangzhou route, and over 13,000 seats, a growth of 39.9% on the Guangzhou-to-Kathmandu route. This adjustment not only provides passengers with more travel options but also further facilitates economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between China and Nepal, according to Southern Airlines.
This increase in transport capacity coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal and the "China-Nepal Tourism Year."
