Nepal is expecting more climbers to try to scale Mount Everest in coming weeks after China said it would limit attempts from the northern side.

Danduraj Ghimire of Nepal's Tourism Department said Tuesday it expected to get more climbers than usual to apply for climbing permits during the spring climbing season that begins later this week.

Some 563 climbers scaled the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak from the southern side in Nepal in 2018.

The spring climbing season, when weather conditions are best on the world's highest peak, begins March 1 and ends May 31.

China said in January it would cut the number of climbers by one-third this year as part of plans for a major cleanup on the mountain that straddles the border between the countries.