KATHMANDU (TIP): Nepal is considering a plan to lease Himalayan peaks to private tourism companies, an official said on March 11, in a bid to ease traffic on Mount Everest and help jumpstart the economy.

The proposal would involve hiring out some of the 326 Himalayan peaks that are currently open, in an attempt to lure climbers away from the main drawcard of Everest amid fears of congestion.It is one of several new measures, including lower mountaineering fees, designed to attract more climbers to the impoverished country, which counts tourism as a key revenue earner.

“We have begun discussion on leasing unclimbed peaks to the private sector, to promote these mountains as new tourism products,” Mohan Krishna Sapkota, spokesman for the tourism ministry said. “We are open to both Nepalese and foreign private companies…we are confident that if the plan goes ahead, it will generate revenues for Nepal,” Sapkota told AFP. He declined to say when the government would implement the proposal, adding that the finance and tourism ministries were discussing the number of peaks that could be included and the length of leases.