The Government of Nepal is preparing to issue Everest climbing permits only to climbers who have previously scaled at least one of the country’s 7,000-metre peaks.

According to Reuters, the government has prepared a draft of a new law aimed at reducing overcrowding and improving safety.

Nepal, which is heavily reliant on climbing, trekking and tourism for foreign exchange, has faced criticism for permitting too many climbers, including inexperienced ones, to try to ascend the 8,849-metre (29,032 ft) peak, added Reuters.

This often results in long queues of climbers in the 'death Zone', an area below the summit with insufficient natural oxygen for survival, reads a news report prepared by the international news agency.

Overcrowding has contributed to a rise in fatalities. In 2023, 12 climbers died and five went missing on Everest, when authorities issued a record 478 climbing permits. The year before, eight climbers lost their lives.

Under the proposed law, an Everest permit would be issued only after a climber provides evidence of having climbed at least one 7,000-metre mountain in Nepal, Reuters further reported. It also mandates that the head of the local support team and mountain guides be Nepali citizens.

Although the law applies to climbs within Nepal, international expedition operators have urged the government to recognize experience from 7,000-meter peaks outside the country. Climbing and trekking remain major contributors to Nepal’s foreign currency earnings and play a vital role in the national economy.

According to Reuters, the draft law has been registered at the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, where the ruling alliance holds a majority required to pass the bill.

So far this year, the government has issued permits to 402 climbers from 53 countries to climb Everest and the number is expected to rise.

According to the state-run national news agency RSS, the Department of Tourism has issued permits to 41 climbing groups, with 74 female climbers among them, as of last Sunday. In the same season last year, 414 climbers, including 75 women and 339 men, had obtained permits.

This year, Rs 684 million has been collected in royalties from mountain climbing permits, a figure expected to rise as more climbers join the season.