South Asian regional tourism conference to be held at ABC

Kathmandu: From the point of view of climbing, tourism professionals active in the region are excited about the fact that the international conference of tourism ministers of South Asia and the Pacific will be held at Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) in the lap of Annapurna, the oldest mountain in the world.

On Sunday, on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, in point 68 of Nepal’s Tourism Sector Revitalization Action Plan-2079, there is a mention of the initiative to organize an international conference of tourism ministers of South Asia and the Pacific region at ABC.

Although a large number of trekking tourists will reach ‘ABC’, which is one of the 10 best trekking trails in the world, in the last two years, the expected tourists have not been able to reach the place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dilip Gurung, Secretary of Chomrong Tourism Management Committee, said that the inclusion of a conference of tourism ministers from South Asia and the Pacific region at this location as part of the government’s action plan for tourism revival is expected to promote tourism here at the international level.

“At the conference, which will be held at the Annapurna base camp, which is an attractive destination for trekking and sightseeing, it is expected to discuss the effects of climate change in the Himalayan region,” he said.

On June 3, 1950, the team of French citizen Maurice Herzog climbed the Annapurna first mountain and set a world record, and the Annapurna region gained worldwide attention afterward.

On May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary climbed the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, after the success of the first ascent of Annapurna, which is 8,911 meters above sea level.

A decade and a half after climbing the Annapurna Himal, in 1966, the world-famous trekker Eric Sipton trekked up to the Annapurna base camp at a height of 4,130 meters, and the Annapurna region gradually became an attractive destination for trekking.