The authorities of Nepal, a country known for its picturesque landscapes and trails, have banned trekking for independent adventurers, according to CNN.

The move comes 5 years after Nepal banned unaccompanied people from climbing Mount Everest. Mount Everest was previously banned from climbing for inexperienced climbers, the disabled, the elderly or the very young, in an effort to improve the area’s safety and reduce overcrowding.

The authorities of Nepal justify the new measure by the high costs associated with search and rescue operations for people who get lost during trips.

“When you travel alone, you have no one to help you in an emergency,” Mani R. Lamikhane, director of the Nepal Tourism Board, told CNN.

He notes that in isolated mountain areas, “the infrastructure is not suitable” for such treks, adding that “when hikers go missing or are found dead, even the government cannot trace them because they have chosen isolated routes.”

Non-payment of taxes is another problem in Nepal

Lamikhane says another problem is tour guides and specialized companies that are not licensed by the authorities. The official claims that these companies, which do not pay taxes because they operate outside the formal economy, are stealing jobs in Nepal.

“There were cases when the trekking association asked us to stop these operations related to unauthorized trekking. This has been a request of tourist associations for a long time,” he says.

Like the rest of the world, Nepal has been hit by a drop in foreign tourist arrivals during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is expected to rise to more than 600,000 this year. In the years leading up to the pandemic, more than a million tourists visited Nepal annually, despite on the country’s relative isolation.

Most of the visitors to this country in the foothills of the Himalayas come from India and the USA.