Kathmandu, July 31 -- Mingma Sherpa, one of the biggest mountaineering expedition operators in the country, has at least 100 bookings from climbers to attempt just the 8,163-metre Mt Manaslu in the upcoming mountaineering season that begins in late September. The autumn season ends in November.

But he is still waiting for clarity from the government on the paperwork tourists require so that he can inform his clients.

"The government needs to tell us what documents foreign nationals have to present for visa applications and to enter the country," said Sherpa, who employs 800 mountain guides and other workers who are now either furloughed or are living in their mountain villages without any income.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the world,...