SOLUKHUMBU: A new trekking route has been opened in Mapya Dudhkoshi rural municipality in Solukhumbhu district.

The new trekking route was launched as a new tourism destination by the rural municipality and Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board.

Buddhi Kumar Rajbhandari, former minister of Koshi Province, Buddhi Kiran Rai, Chairperson of Mapya Dudhkoshi rural municipality, and Nilhari Bastola, Chairperson of TAAN, jointly inaugurated the trekking route amid a program organized at Silgudhi Danda of Mapya Dudhkoshi-5 in the district today.

The newly opened trekking route could be completed in four nights and five days, shared Chairperson Rai.

The route begins from Silgudhi and ends in Mahabhir via Ghumremera, Kudham, Yetelama, Rapcha, Majhgaun, Khastav, Bhumethan and Pasda Jharana.

Province Assembly member Bhandari emphasized everyone’s cooperation in development of tourism sector that is one of the mainstays of national economy.

He opined that if the tourists coming to visit Sagarmatha area could be attracted here, the tourism of this area could pick a pace.

Similarly, TAAN’s Chairperson Bastola expressed his happiness to open a new trekking route in the district housing the highest mountain in the world – Sagarthama (Mt Everest).

He, however, lamented that Nepal could not attract at least 1 million tourism annually to the country of Sagarmatha and Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Budhha.

He also voiced his concern that the trekking routes were destroying by opening road track indiscriminately.

He further said that the tourism entrepreneurs involving in trekking business were suffering since the government was ignorant about them.

Likewise, trekking route coordinator and tourism entrepreneur Choldrendra Bahadur Karki called for publicizing and promoting the newly opened track as a new tourism destination.

Prakash Khaling, member of rural municipality, shared that a planned programme was taken forward for tourism promotion in Mapya rural municipality and it would be carried out effectively.

Record holder mountaineer Kamirita Sherpa, who has climbed Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) for 28th times, asserted that tourism sector could be developed easily if we could show the hidden natural and historical tourist attractions.

Local tourism entrepreneur Manbir Khaling said that trekkers could trek to Dudhkunda mountain, Sagarmatha and Mera Peak area from the newly opened trekking route.