Kathmandu, May 4: With the government making the Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS) card and trekking guide mandatory for foreign tourists going on a trek, the number of trekkers who get the TIMS card online has increased.
Nepal Tourism Board, Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and the joint organization of workers in the tourism sector have implemented the rule that foreign tourists visiting Nepal cannot go on treks without a TIMS card and a guide.
A total of 9,320 trekkers have taken the TIMS card since April 1, 2023. Similarly, during the same period, more than 1,500 trekking companies have joined the TIMS. The government has been charging Rs. 2,000 per person.
TAAN President Neelhari Bastola says that TIMS card has been distributed online for the convenience of tourists. “In order to make the trekking safe, reliable and orderly, the government has arranged mandatory guides and TIMS cards”, he says. President Bastola says that more than a dozen trekkers have gone missing without any notice while going on a hike alone, and says that guides are mandatory for the safety of tourists.
“When a tourist goes on a trek alone and gets lost, the message has gone abroad that Nepal is not a safe destination for trekking, it is important to get rid of it,” says President Bastola. According to TAAN, by making TIMS card and guides mandatory, tourists will be safe, Nepalese tourist guides will get jobs, and companies will pay revenue to the state when they go through the company, which will benefit everyone.
