KATHMANDU, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Nepal has issued permits to 704 climbers, including 156 females, for ascending 21 mountains in the country during the spring climbing season which runs through May, an official said on Thursday.

Among them, 253 males and 58 females were allowed to scale Mount Qomolangma, the world's tallest peak at 8,848.86 meters, which straddles Nepal and China.

"We have been receiving applications daily, mainly for Mount Qomolangma," Liladhar Awasthi, director at the Department of Tourism, told Xinhua.

Nepal has earned 3.84 million U.S. dollars in revenues by issuing the permits, with 3.38 million dollars from Mount Qomolangma alone.

The Nepali government is to raise foreign nationals' climbing fee for Mount Qomolangma from 5,500 dollars to 7,500 dollars from September 1, when the autumn climbing season starts. ■