Tour Guide Insurance Scam Threatens Nepal’s Trekking Industry

A wide-ranging scam involving chopper operators and tour organizers has given a bad name to Nepal’s trekking industry, a major component of the tourism sector.
Tour Guide Insurance Scam Threatens Nepal’s Trekking Industry
A Russian helicopter flies past Mount Thamserku in Syangboche, Nepal, on April 6, 2018. AP Photo/Tashi Sherpa
Updated:

KATHMANDU, Nepal—High in Nepal’s Himalayas, helicopter rescue operations were once credited for saving the lives of foreign trekkers who suffered altitude sickness or were stranded during their grueling trek.

But a wide-ranging scam involving chopper operators and tour organizers has given a bad name to the impoverished country’s trekking industry, a major component of the tourism sector.