Nepal increases permit fee for Mount Everest climbers by 36%

Cost of scaling world's tallest peak rises for first time in nearly a decade to $15,000

Nepal will increase the permit fees for climbing Mount Everest by 36%, making the world's tallest peak more expensive for mountaineers for the first time in nearly a decade, officials have said.

Income from permit fees and other spending by foreign climbers is a key source of revenue and employment for the poor country, which is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains.