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All profits from the next season of Nepal trekking trips will be donated by Intrepid Travel to local and international charities working to rebuild the country following two devastating earthquakes.
The adventure travel operator’s not-for-profit arm, The Intrepid Foundation, has already raised A$400,000 – about £200,000 – to support Plan International’s emergency relief support to families in Nepal.
The company aims to raise a further A$600,000 (£300,000) through profits and donations.
Money raised through sales of trips to Nepal from September this year to May 2016 will be distributed to a range of international and local charities such as KEEP, a project that works for porters’ welfare and education.
The operator hopes that by donating profits from the 2015-16 season that travellers will be encouraged to return to Nepal.
The Namaste Nepal campaign is the latest initiative from Intrepid Travel, which claims to be the largest trekking operator in Nepal.
Intrepid Travel co-founder Darrell Wade will be visiting Nepal this month (June) to meet staff in Kathmandu.
Wade and the local team will be working with NGOs and official organisations to identify charitable projects that are in most need of support from the company’s million Australian dollar fundraising campaign.
Managing director, James Thornton, said: “The generosity of our travel community has been inspiring. People clearly care about Nepal and the Nepalese people as much as we do.
“The question we’ve been asked most about Nepal is simply: how can I help? We’ve spoken to our local team in Nepal and concluded that the best thing we can do now is to visit the country.
“Tourism is Nepal’s largest industry, but without visitors many Nepalese people will find it difficult to earn a living. As the largest guided tour operator in Nepal, we believe it is important for Intrepid to lead the way and support the country when it needs us most.
“It means that every traveller, every trekker, every person that visits Nepal this year will be directly contributing to the rebuilding effort,” said Thornton.
With more than 26 years’ experience in the country and around 200 local employees in Nepal, Intrepid Travel has strong ties to the destination and its people.
Intrepid’s Kathmandu-based operations team ensured the safe evacuation of travellers after the earthquakes, and are now working closely with safety experts and local authorities to assess infrastructure.