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TIMS card pushed revenue collection up in April

  

Added At:  2010-05-18 12:02 AM

   Last Updated At: 2010-05-18 4:13 PM

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Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Trekking Agency Association of Nepal (TAAN) have issued 16,787 Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS) card till yesterday.


According to TAAN during the month of April only, it issued a total of 12,615 cards. Similarly, it has collected a total of Rs 13.716 million in April.

The government has made some changes in existing Trekkers’ Management Information System (TIMS) provisions that has been implemented from April 1. According to the government decision, NTB and TAAN will jointly implement the TIMS.

NTB and TAAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 18 to regulate the TIMS system under a new format. According to the MoU, they have introduced separate TIMS Cards for Free Individual Trekkers (FITs) and organised groups.

FITs need to have Green TIMS cards by paying Nepali currency equivalent to $20 per person, while those travelling in groups need to have Blue TIMS cards by paying Nepali currency equivalent to $10 per person. Trekkers taking the services from trekking agencies can pay fee for TIMS card in US dollar too.

Free Individual Trekkers can obtain TIMS cards at the offices of NTB in Kathmandu and Pokhara, TAAN secretariat at Maligaon and TAAN Pokhara secretariat in Pokhara upon filling the TIMS application firm. Trekking companies will collect trekkers’ data and enter it in the central database and will provide trekkers with a TIMS card after paying the fee. TIMS card is made compulsory to trekking through all the trekking routes in the country.

However, TIMS cards aren’t required for expedition members with mountaineering permits issued by the government and Nepal Mountaineering Association visitors to controlled areas having permits issued by the Department of Immigration, foreign guests invited by the government, authorities from the various diplomatic missions present in the country, who hold official letters and travel at their own risk.

Visitors on certain missions are recommended by the concerned governmental departments and foreign nationals possessing a residential visa.

TAAN and NTB under these provisions records trekkers’ details and

issue TIMS card. Due to the lack of proper record system of trekkers and their exact whereabouts and the information about the trekking routes, rescuer and search mission used to face difficulties in spotting the missing trekkers earlier.

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