The Nepali secretary for culture, tourism and civil aviation Madhav Prasad Ghimire has kicked off preparations for the forthcoming Himalaya Tourism Conference 2006 on December 11-12 in Kathmandu.

Organized by the Nepal Mountaineering Association in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board, International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, World Wildlife Fund, Nepal and Himalaya Environmental Trust, the international event will coincide with the celebration of the golden jubilee of the first ascent of Mt. Manaslu and Mt. Lhotse, a leading newspaper, The Himalayan Times, reported on Tuesday.

According to Ghimire, with the peace process in place, it was important to inform the international community that Nepal was a safe destination to travel.

Outlining the main objectives of the conference, he told reporters on Monday that it was firstly to revive and promote mountain tourism in the country and secondly, to discuss ways to reduce the negative impact of tourism on the environment and preserve the mountain culture.

The third main objective was to extend the benefits of tourism which was confined to urban areas to seep down to rural areas as well.

Source: Xinhua