The Government of Nepal has hiked the cost of an Everest climbing permit by a third, arguing it will help tackle pollution and boost safety on the world's highest mountain, AFP reported citing chief of the Department of Tourism.

According to a news report prepared by the international news agency, fees for the peak spring climbing season will rise from $11,000 to $15,000 for a permit to scale the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak.

Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Department of Tourism, told AFP that the cost had remained constant for a decade and it was high time to revise it.

Costs of climbing during the off-season in monsoon or winter, when it is more challenging to climb the mountains, have also been hiked at similar rates, including from $5,500 to $7,500 during the autumn season.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 metres and welcomes thousands of climbers each year, AFP further reported.

Foreign climbers spend tens of thousands of dollars in their attempt to climb Everest every year. The government collected royalties of $4 million by issuing climbing permits for Everest to more than 400 climbers last year.

According to AFP, the funds are put towards cleaning trash from the mountain left by climbers as well as search and rescue operations

Mountaineering expedition companies hoped the price hike would not deter climbers, warning some might look to scale Everest through China, AFP further reported.

"Some climbers might shift to Tibet where the facilities are much better," AFP quoted Mingma G Sherpa, who runs the Imagine Nepal mountaineering company, as saying.

"Our government just increases the royalty, but doesn't do much," he said.

"It needs to also provide support to the climbers and guides."

According to AFP, Nepal has been criticised for allowing too many climbers on Everest while doing little to keep the peak clean.

Last year, the Government of Nepal ordered Everest mountaineers to carry mandatory trackers and carry bags to remove their excrement.

The news report added that the fee increase was approved by the government in January, but was only published in the Nepal Gazette late Monday.