KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 25The Department of Immigration has started issuing route permits for domestic and foreign tourists going to restricted zone through online system. Over 79,000 foreign tourists visited Nepal in January Work permits for Russia and Ukraine suspended Prior to this, the DOI was providing permits to tourists going to restricted zone only physically after completing the due procedures and paper work.

But since last week, arrangements have been made to issue route permits through electronic means.

Link to the trekking permit portal.With the provision of route permits online, now it will be easy for tourists to go to the upper Mustang, upper Dolpa, Tsum and Nuvri Valley of Manaslu region of Gorkha, Simkot, Changkheli and Namkha of Humla district as well as Kanchenjunga region of Taplejung, said Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) General Secretary, Binod Sapkota. Likewise, TAAN President Neelhari Bastola said the more tourists can be facilitated the more they will come to visit Nepal.

I believe that this online service will help promote the trekking industry, he said.Meanwhile, Acting Director General Department of Immigration Krishna Bahadur Katwal said with the new system in place tourists can now easily get permits online by making 'QR payment' from a trekking company or their personal accounts. .

This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com