Nepal has sought help of legendary Everest climbers to revive its tourism industry damaged by the recent earthquakes.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation on Friday unveiled a list of goodwill ambassadors, which includes the legendary Japanese Everest climber Junko Tabei, to attract tourists to Nepal.
Apart from the first woman to summit the Everest, the list also boasts of names like Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing. Peter and Jamling are the sons of the world's first Everest summitters Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgey Sherpa respectively. They had also climbed the Everest.
Reindhold Messner, an Italian mountaineer who for the first time scaled the Everest without oxygen, also features in the list.
Mountaineers Peter Athens (US), Um Hong-gill (South Korea), Idurne Pasaban (Spain), Jean Michel Asselin (France), Wolfgang Nairz (Austria), Ralf Dujmovits ( Germany), Nichole Nikki (Switzernland), Katja Starrtjes (Netherland), Doc Mc Karr ( Britain) have also been nominated as goodwill ambassadors, according to Nepal's state-owned news agency RSS.
Nepali women mountaineers Mingma Sherpa, Lyakpa Rita Sherpa, Susmita Maskey and Shaille Basnet are also among the newly-nominated goodwill ambassadors. The list was made public at an event organised in Kathmandu on Friday to mark the international Mt Everest day.
The newly-nominated goodwill ambassadors are expected to help Nepal promote its tourism in the international market and attract more tourists.
The recent earthquakes have dealt a devastating blow to Nepal's tourism industry by destroying two trekking routes and damaging hotels.
However, tourism entrepreneurs are hopeful that tourists will visit Nepal in the next autumn season as most trekking routes and tourism destinations are intact.
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