KATHMANDU, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Mountaineers across the world arenow thronging Mt. Qomolangma Base Camp for the climb of the world's highest peak.

    Among 17 teams given permission from Nepali government for spring 2006, 194 mountaineers of 25 different countries scaled the world's highest Mt. Qomolangma till Sunday, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation said.

    Youths as young as 22 to old men of 70 are in the race for setting new world records with excitement and courage.

    Last week alone, 45 mountaineers climbed Mt. Qomolangma successfully, on a single day.

    It has been 53 years now since the first man set foot on the highest peak on earth.

    Two climbers Tenzing Norgey Sherpa and Edmund Hillary reached the top successfully on May 29, 1953, which got a worldwide publicity and Nepal earned a fame of being one of the countries ofMt. Qomolangma in the international arena.

    Some 1,700 mountaineers have so far successfully climbed the 8,848-meter peak from the southern face in the 53 years.

    The first man on Mt. Qomolangma was Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and first woman was Junko Tabei of Japan, Reinhold Messnerof France climbed without artificial oxygen, climbing in least time was Pemba Dorje Sherpa, climbing with artificial feet was Nawang Sherpa, and the first Nepali woman to climb was Pasang Lhamu Sherpa.

    Appa Sherpa climbed for the most 16 times including this year, oldest climber was Takao Arayama, 70, Lhakpa Sherpa was the woman to climb the mountain for the most sixth times.

    Park Young Scok of South Korea climbed Mt. Qomolangma last week. He has set a record of climbing all the 14 peaks above 8,000meters including Makalu, Choyu, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Manaslu, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri.

    Nepal receives 110 million Nepali rupees (1.57 million US dollars) from this sector every year as revenue.

    The government has opened 326 peaks for trekking and mountaineering.

    There are no differences of opinion that Nepal is unparalleled and best destination the world over for adventure tourists and mountaineers as Nepal has eight of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.

    The famous mountaineers including Hillary have been contributing for years in the development of sanitation in the mountain region, environmental balance, and health and education of the locals.

    They also fear whether the beauty and attraction of the mountain can be deteriorated.

    Three years ago, when he had come for the golden jubilee of Mt. Qomolangma, Hillary said that Mt. Qomolangma should be given a rest for some time to save its beauty.

    Attraction, importance and concern of the world has been deep on Nepal's mountain tourism after publicity by national and international media at the special function and program of the golden jubilee of Mt. Qomolangma amid a large gathering of mountaineers and lovers of mountains of the world over.

    The government decided to highlight the importance and attraction of the mountains by celebrating the golden jubilees of each of the mountains of Nepal above 8,000 meters as per the aspirations of the tourism entrepreneurs as well as the success of the Mt. Qomolangma golden jubilee.

    As per this, golden jubilees of Kanchanjunga and Makalu peaks have been celebrated this year, and plans are for celebrating thatof Mt. Manaslu and Lhotse, for which the Nepal Mountaineering Association has been making preparations.

    The International Mountain Museum is another example to make Nepal known to the world as a country of mountains.

    The museum built in Pokhara, western tourism city of Nepal, is the best museum of Asia, which depicts the inalienable relations between the mountains, nature and man as well as its importance and liveliness.

    The museum has been a library for study, research and observation of the Himalayan lifestyle, the Sherpa and other communities, wild life, birds and mountaineers.

    The tourism entrepreneurs opine that mountain tourism development should be given first priority by the government as the country can earn more foreign currency in low investment.

    Nepal is rich in terms of natural and cultural heritages and the concrete basis for the tourism is the simplicity and intimacy of the Nepali people. Enditem