KATHMANDU, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of mountaineering expeditions is on the rise as the climbing season gets underway in the Himalayas on the Nepali side, The Kathmandu Post reported on Tuesday.

    According to the daily, some 31 expeditions are already headed towards Mt. Qomolangma, the central attraction, this spring season. This is more than the number of teams that arrived during the whole of last year when 24 climbing parties took a shot at the tallest peak on earth.

    The mood is high at other Himalayan peaks too. Dinesh Hari Adhikari, joint secretary of the Tourism Industry Division of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said they have granted climbing permits to 85 teams in total this season, up from around six dozen last year.

    Mid-March to May is considered the most favorable time for mountaineering in Nepal. Adhikari said some expeditions are expected to arrive in the next week or two.

    Lovers of mountaineering said the end of the conflict in Nepal had encouraged them to head for the Himalayas and climb the great peaks.

    Mountaineers are considered to be high-spending visitors as they pay huge sums for climbing permits. And it is estimated that an expedition normally employs around 600 porters and 400 others as guides, cooks and kitchen boys during the time it stays in Nepal.

    According to the report, climbing permit for Qomolangma costs 70,000 U.S dollars for an expedition consisting of seven members, with an additional charge of 10,000 dollars for each extra member.