Pokhara, June 3: The 74th Annapurna Day was celebrated by organising a variety of programs here today.
The Day is celebrated every year on June 3, commemorating the historical day on June 3, 1950, when French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached atop Mt Annapurna for the first time ever.
Ambassadors and diplomats from nine different countries joined hands with officers from Nepal Tourism Board, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Nepal Mountaineering Association to celebrate the day.
Speaking at a morning procession held to mark the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that the government is identifying and promoting tourist destinations with the goal of developing Nepal as a tourist hub.
Chief of Gandaki Province, Surendra Raj Pandey said that Maurice Herzog’s first ascent to Annapurna helped establish Nepal as a mountaineering and adventure destination.
On the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha also unveiled the statue of Maurice Herzog, which will be kept at the Annapurna base camp located in Annapurna rural municipality-4 of Myagdi district.
