KATHMANDU, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Since the onset of autumn mountaineering season, Nepal has collected revenue of 559,575 U.S. dollars, according to the country's Department of Tourism (DoT).

As autumn is a popular season for mountain expeditions and trekking in the Himalayan country, the department which issues climbing permits, granted permission for at least 50 mountains this season.

The latest statistics provided by the department shows that 156 teams having 1,158 members from about 62 countries or regions have received the permit till Monday to scale different mountains. Among them, 246 are female climbers.

The department issued expedition permits to the mountains ranging from 6,000 to 8,000 plus meters including the world's highest peak Mount Qomolangma, and several other highest peaks like Manaslu, Makalu, Lhotse and Dhaulagiri.

Among 50 mountains, 6,814 meters high Mount Amadablam located in Solukhumbu district attracted the highest number of climbers that stand at 316, with a collection of 123,600 U.S. dollars revenue.

"We cannot determine the total revenue or number of climbers who successfully scaled the peaks this autumn as expeditions are still underway in the mountains. Interestingly, we are still getting applications for the permit," Surendra Thapa, information officer at DoT, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Autumn mountaineering season, which usually starts in September and ends in December, witnesses comparatively the large number of climbers and trekkers than spring climbing season.

Thapa informed that autumn expeditions can go till December or even January, depending upon the choice and arrangement of climbers and expedition organizers.

For climbing any mountain of above 8,000 meters, the department issues the permit that is valid for 75 days, while for smaller peaks, it is usually for 45 days.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, with mountaineering a major source of revenue for the country's tourism industry.