Kathmandu, Nov. 20 -- In a bid to attract tourists, the government has decided to remove the flat $500 per person per 10-day period fee for foreign trekkers visiting the upper Mustang region near Korala on the Nepal-China border, a restricted area, decades after the charge was imposed. The new fee will be $50 per person per day, once the rules are amended.

Trekking agencies say that this is just the start, and hope restrictions in other areas, both in terms of fees and entry, will be gradually eased as well.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel, the government spokesperson, said so while informing the media on the decisions of Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

He said that changes will be made by amending the...