Nepal is making 97 mountains free to climb. It wants more tourists in poorer areas of the country. A tourism worker said the free mountains are over 6,000 metres high. The number of trekkers in the poorer areas is low because access is difficult. The worker hopes more tourists will create jobs and make the economy stronger.

The fee to climb Mount Everest will also go up. It will rise from $11,000 to $15,000. This is the first increase in ten years. Another new rule is trekkers must prove they climbed a Nepalese mountain over 7,000 metres high. This may get more people to try some of the 97 free mountains.