Famous for Happiness, and Limits on Tourism, Bhutan Will Triple Fees to Visit

As Venice and other European hot spots explore permit systems and daily fees to limit the number of tourists, the tiny Buddhist kingdom will require a $200 tax on international visitors when it reopens this fall.

The Buddha Dordenma statue overlooks Thimphu Valley in Bhutan.
The Buddha Dordenma statue overlooks Thimphu Valley in Bhutan. Credit…Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

The tiny Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, often referred to as “the last Shangri-La” for its abundance of natural beauty, sustainable development and rich cultural heritage, has long resisted the quick financial returns of mass tourism in favor of conservation. The approach is aligned with a cultural philosophy where the country’s wealth and prosperity is measured, through a national happiness index, as an alternative to the gross domestic product.

Since 1974, the year when foreigners were first permitted to visit Bhutan, the country has had a unique “high value, low volume” tourism policy, requiring international visitors to pay at least a daily rate of $250 that covered accommodations, meals, a mandatory tour guide and included a $65 “sustainable development fee” to the government. The package-like approach was aimed to preserve the natural resources of the country by limiting the number of international visitors and controlling where they went. While some tourists complained of poor hotel plumbing, slow internet access and bland food, many appreciated the ease of the predetermined tours.

Now as the government of Bhutan prepares to reopen its borders on Sept. 23, it has overhauled the tourism system and will significantly raise the cost to visit. Visitors no longer need to be on a package tour, but they will now have to pay a $200 daily fee directly to the government, and pay separately for their accommodation, meals, tours and other travel expenses. The new policy, officials say, will rebrand Bhutan as “an exclusive destination,” attracting “discerning tourists” who will have access to a wider range of higher-quality services.

“Covid-19 has allowed us to reset, to rethink how the sector can be best structured and operated, so that it not only benefits Bhutan economically, but socially as well, while keeping carbon footprints low,” said Dr. Tandi Dorji, Bhutan’s foreign minister and chairman of the Tourism Council of Bhutan. “In the long run, our goal is to create high-value experiences for visitors, and well-paying and professional jobs for our citizens. ”

But many tour operators express anxiety over the change. They are worried that the new structure will leave them without any business — uncertain whether they will be able to attract a sufficient number of tourists with the higher fee, or if tourists will even require their services at all, now that they will have the option to book directly through hotels, tour guides and the like.

“Just when we thought we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after two-and-a-half years of being out of business, the government’s tourism amendment bill has thrown us back in the darkness and we have no idea how to go about it,” said Pelden Dorji, the chief executive officer of the Bhutan Travel Club, a company that specializes in adventure travel experiences.

Mr. Dorji has already received cancellations from groups that had booked, but not paid for, packaged trips they had scheduled later in the year. He said the group members felt that they could not justify paying an additional $200 a day on top of the other expenses that had been agreed upon as part of the previous package deal.

Under the previous policy, all bookings and payments had to be made through registered local tour operators, who were required to organize a prearranged itinerary with fixed dates and overnight stops.

“It’s basically a package tour that lets you see an authentic, untouched corner of paradise while protecting itself from being invaded by tourists,” said Megan Petersen, 44, a London-based makeup artist who visited Bhutan in 2017. “It’s genius and places with overtourism problems should use the same model.”

Ms. Petersen spent eight days exploring Bhutan with her sister, trekking through forests and mountain meadows, hiking to cliff-side temples and meeting local communities in remote villages. Throughout their trip, they camped and stayed in basic three-star accommodations. Everything was included in their package.

“The lodges and food were pretty average, but that just added to the experience of being able to experience the real community and culture without the fake tourist treatment,” Ms. Petersen said. “What makes Bhutan so special is the kindness and spirituality of its people and their deep love and respect for nature and their land.”

Government officials say the previous policy discouraged additional out-of-pocket spending, as many travel agents would assemble their trip activities, food and other offerings to not exceed the $250 daily rate — the practice effectively turned the policy’s minimum rate into the maximum.

“The policy caused more misunderstandings than understanding and it has resulted in lowering the services that we are potentially able to offer,” said Prime Minister Lotay Tshering.

Under the revised tourism bill, which was passed by the Bhutanese parliament last month, Bhutan will be able to reinvest “in bringing up the quality of tourism products, especially in terms of training our guides, bettering the quality of our hotels, restaurants and food, while preserving the pristine environment that we have for generations to come,” the prime minister said.

One of the government’s main priorities, Dr. Tshering said, is to invest in waste management infrastructure and protect Bhutan’s biological corridors, nature parks and main cultural assets. Bhutan’s constitution mandates that 60 percent of the country’s land must be under forest cover and maintains strict laws to protect and uphold its carbon-negative status.

“This all costs money,” Dr. Tshering said.

While Bhutanese travel representatives had expected some reforms to the country’s tourism policy, the threefold increase to the government’s sustainability tax came as a shock, with many fearing that the new model will turn tourists toward cheaper destinations at a time when the country is desperate for tourism dollars to boost its post-pandemic recovery.

Tourism revenue is a key contributor to Bhutan’s economy, making up 6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Some 29,000 tourists visited Bhutan in 2020 before the borders were shuttered in March of that year, and generated a revenue of $19 million. In 2019, 315,599 tourists visited, earning the tourism industry $225 million, according to the Tourism Council of Bhutan. The kingdom eased its travel restrictions earlier this year, allowing in foreign visitors on a case-by-case basis and requiring them to quarantine.

Tourism operators argue that the minimum package framework incentivized tourists by including all essential services.

“Everyone is asking, ‘why fix something that is not broken?’” said Lotay Rinchen, co-founder of the tourism company Bridge To Bhutan, Bespoke Mindful Journeys. It “protected the travel industry and ensured a certain level of quality and business,” he said of the prior system.

Mr. Rinchen was always in favor of increasing the price of the minimum fee. But without the requirement of the package structure, he says he anticipates the Bhutan brand will be harder to sell. He has started to explore the possibility of offering luxurious products to lure in tourists willing to pay the higher costs, like chic boutique lodges, wellness retreats and upscale glamping. Previously tourists could pay extra for high-end hotels like the Taj Tashi and Le Meridien Thimphu, but many chose the basic options included in the minimum daily fee package.

“This is not the right timing. Bhutan’s economy is in bad shape, and we had expected to open up tourism and start earning hard currency again, but this price hike will keep tourists away,” said Mr. Dorji of the Bhutan Travel Club, adding that the new model could attract a demographic of older sightseeing tourists who would “skim from one luxury hotel to another, without experiencing the Bhutanese way of life.”

The prime minister said that was not the government’s intention. “We want to make sure that we get a set of tourists who are intellectually high-standing, knowledgeable and conscious of our needs and unique features,” he said.

Elsa Foster, 44, an American personal trainer who lives in Scotland, took a mountain biking tour in Bhutan with a group of friends in 2018. After a day of sightseeing in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, they embarked on a seven-day off-roading adventure, cycling through remote mountain valleys and villages. Ms. Foster said it was very practical to have hotels booked by their tour agent as they stayed in a different location each night.

“I really liked how everything was organized and packaged with the old fee system, all you had to do was show up,” she said. “But to pay 200 bucks on top of all the other expenses, you’ve got to be pretty rich and it’s a shame that Bhutan will become inaccessible to young people who won’t be able to afford it.”

The government hopes the new policy will have the opposite effect, attracting a wider demographic. “All we mean is to welcome with a very open heart all individuals and potential visitors who want to visit and experience the uniqueness we have to offer,” Dr. Tshering said. “Then we will ensure that the visitor will get the value of the money that is spent in Bhutan.”

The United States was one of the top tourism markets for the kingdom before the pandemic, behind India and Bangladesh, with 13,016 Americans visiting in 2019 and spending an average of 10 nights, according to the Tourism Council of Bhutan.

Karma Tshering, an environmental conservation and ecotourism specialist, said the government should use the increased tourism tax to meet its sustainability goals, which could include investing in hiking trails, highway amenities and training and support to service providers.

He is worried that without the minimum-spend policy, “which helps our service providers obtain minimum revenue to support their services, our people will be left in the hands of the tourists to negotiate and bring down prices,” Mr. Tshering said, adding that there could be “a chain impact on delivering quality services and high-end experiences.”

Some sectors see an opportunity in the change. Sonam Wangchuk, chairman of the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Bhutan, said the amendment was long overdue and will bring positive change where all hotels and restaurants will have equal opportunity.

“I guess it is now the survival of the fittest, where one now needs to pull up their socks and become a go-getter,” he said. “The old days of business knocking at your door are gone, therefore the harder we work the more promising it will be.”

Chencho Dema contributed reporting from Kansas City, Mo.

Credit: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/travel/bhutan-tourism.html

Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon

Bhutan, this tiny country located in the Himalaya mountains, has just recently opened its doors to tourism. As of 1974 Bhutan began to allow tourists to enter. It wasn’t until more recently when tourism really began to boom here, and tourism has now become a leading source of revenue for this country.

The Daily Tariff

Bhutan believes in offering high-quality tourism. A hefty $250 daily tariff is charged per person to visit this country. It sounds expensive, and it is on the high side, but it includes accommodations in three star hotels, a tour guide, transportation, all meals, and most activities.

What this fee does not include are flights and other transportation into or out of Bhutan, and anything extra, such as snacks, alcoholic beverages, and certain activities.

You are able to travel in small groups and make your own itinerary.

You are not forced onto gigantic tour buses for sightseeing with twenty-five other people.

So, if you multiply the $250 tariff by four (for our family), $1000 is quite an expensive fee. Fortunately for us, children under the age of 12 are half price. Our daily fee of $750 is crushing our daily budget expenditure!!!

But I had read that Bhutan is amazing, we were already so close to it, just having been in Nepal, so we scheduled a week in Bhutan, hoping it would live up to our expectations. Our week has just ended and I can tell you that Bhutan is incredible. This has been one of the best weeks of our trip so far…and that is saying a lot!

Bhutan Flag

Bridge to Bhutan

The tour company we used is Bridge to Bhutan (click here to visit their website). We found them through Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor. Lotay and Fin, the founders of Bridge to Bhutan, helped us plan our itinerary and pick out great hotels during our stay in Bhutan. We felt like they really had our best interests in mind and did everything they could to make our week as enjoyable as possible.

I am hoping we can one day return to Bhutan, and when we do we will not hesitate to use Bridge to Bhutan again. Our experience was amazing.

Continue reading Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon

Bhutan rejoices over birth of crown prince

The King and Queen of Bhutan have released the first official picture of their baby son who was born last Friday.

In an image posted to Facebook, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 35, and Queen Jetsun Pema, 25, can be seen gazing adoringly at the new arrival who is swaddled in a vibrant yellow blanket as they sit in the grounds of Lingkana Palace in the Bhtanese capital Thimphu.

But it was the King’s father, who is known as His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, who was given the honour of holding the new baby as he was officially introduced to the world.

b2b5
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 35, (left) and Queen Jetsun Pema, 25, of Bhutan gaze adoringly at their newborn son in the grounds of Lingkana Palace in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu. The baby’s grandfather, the former King of Bhutan (centre) was given the honour of holding the baby whose name has not yet been revealed

The former King of Bhutan cradled the baby – whose name has not yet been announced – in the crook of his right arm, while placing an affectionate hand around his daughter-in-law’s shoulder. Continue reading Bhutan rejoices over birth of crown prince

The elusive Snow Leopard caught on camera

Courtesy:  The Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, Bhutan , WWF and Kuensel newspaper

The elusive Snow Leopard caught on camera (You tube video)

Snow leopards disappearing?

The cats’ coming into conflict with humans is the main threat to its population in Bhutan
A preliminary snow leopard prey survey conducted recently at the Wangchuck Centennial Park using camera traps revealed several footages of snow leopards and its prey.Watch another video
The study, worth Nu 2M, World Wildlife Fund officials said would focus on the snow leopard population and their places of existence to help prioritise the best areas for conservation. Continue reading The elusive Snow Leopard caught on camera

Featured Web/Blog: Introduction to Bhutan – Unbelievable Photographs!

Bhutan.  This little-known Himalayan kingdom, nestled between the giants of India and China, is the world’s last remaining Shangri-La.  This is an extraordinary country, unlike any on Earth, where traffic lights do not exist, buying cigarettes is illegal, the wrestling channel and MTV are banned, as well as Western-style billboards and plastic bags, and Gross National Happiness has been deemed more important than Gross National Product.  While neighboring countries have catapulted themselves into the modern world and embraced tourism with such ferocity that their cultures have been both compromised and neglected, Bhutan has recognized that the only way to move forward and ensure both its survival and sovereignty is to protect the unique culture and environment that makes the country so special.

Up until 1960, Bhutan had been visited by only a handful of early British explorers and during the decade that followed the few foreigners permitted into the country were guests of the royal family.  It was not until the coronation of the fourth king in 1974 that a hotel was built and the first group of paying tourists arrived, organized and led by Lars Eric Lindbald (founder of Linbald Travel) who encouraged the government to limit tourism and to charge high fees.  This set the standard by which tourism would evolve in Bhutan and small groups began to enter the country, permitted only to visit the dzongs and goempas in Paro and Thimpu. Continue reading Featured Web/Blog: Introduction to Bhutan – Unbelievable Photographs!

Why it Costs $200 a Day in Bhutan?

MAY 17, 2011 By Mary Kay Magistad for the THE WORLD (PRI): Download MP3

Bhutanese are proud of their traditional Buddhist culture – a culture tracing centuries back to Tibet, which has given Bhutan both its written language and its strain of Buddhism. As an independent country, Bhutan has been able to preserve its traditional culture far better than Tibet. And it wants to share that culture – with a select few, well-heeled tourists.

Many climb – though, in sneakers or hiking books rather than in heels – to the Tiger’s Nest in Paro, a Buddhist monastery with gilded roofs that seems to hover ethereally above a sheer cliff face. The hike on steep forest trails winds past rhododendrons and ghostly Spanish moss. With the high altitude, it takes even a young, fit person a couple of hours to make the ascent – and that’s before you get to the more than 700 stairs leading to the monastery at the end.

A Different Kind of Tourist

But few of the foreign tourists on the trail when I visited – or in Bhutan in general – were young or fit. Many rode donkeys up, and used walking sticks to gradually make their way down. Not exactly the energetic young trekkers of Nepal – but then, Bhutan’s tourists are different. Continue reading Why it Costs $200 a Day in Bhutan?

Wanderlust travel: Penis worship in Bhutan

What’s behind all those phallus pictures in this remote Himalayan land?
January 4, 2011 By Iva Skoch

Editor’s note: Wanderlust is a regular GlobalPost series on global sex and relationship issues written by Iva Skoch, who is now traveling the world writing a book on the subject.

THIMPHU, Bhutan — Most of the penises painted on houses or suspended from rooftops in Bhutan are larger than humans.

They come in various sizes, color schemes and embellishments. Some have ribbons tied around them like jovial holiday presents. Others are coiled by daunting dragons. A few even have eyes. They typically feature hairy testicles, from the neatly trimmed to full-on Yeti-style. And, of course, all are fully erect.

“Oh, golly,” said an elderly woman visiting from Seattle, when she stepped off the bus in the Punakha valley and found herself surrounded by an alarming concentration of penis imagery, set against a magnificent Himalayan backdrop.

She was one of just 30,000 “outsiders” in 2010 who visited this isolated country wedged between China and India. While Bhutan tops many travel wish lists — thanks to its almost utopic reputation as “the last Shangri La” and a place where the government measures success in “Gross National Happiness” instead of gross domestic product — only a fraction can afford such a trip. Continue reading Wanderlust travel: Penis worship in Bhutan

Lonely Planet’s travel picks for 2011

Overlooking houses and fields in the mountains of Western Bhutan.

Overlooking houses and fields in the mountains of Western Bhutan. Photo by Johnny Haglund

30 Dec. 2010: Wondering what the new year will bring? Here’s the word on the ground from our Asia-Pacific travel editor, Shawn.

Budget airlines are here to stay. Frustration with budget airlines hit a new high (or low) in 2010 – but that’s not stopping people from travelling with them. More routes AND airlines are opening up in 2011: Malaysia Airlines is expanding its budget Firefly routes and Thai Airways is planning on launching its budget Thai Tiger carrier.

Tired of ‘independent’ travel? What about a tour…an awesome one? It’s getting harder and harder to get off the beaten path. In a funny twist, 2011 will be the year that the tours beat out the independent traveller to far-flung destinations. Looking for a destination that gives you some bragging rights? Try North Korea – possible to visit as part of an organised group. It’s the only way to get a glimpse behind one of the world’s most fascinatingly closed countries. Communism doesn’t appeal? Check out Bhutan. It’s a Himalayan Shangri-la, where snow-capped mountains and primeval forest are home to monasteries, dzongs and a uniquely Buddhist culture. Tourism to Bhutan is set to double by 2012 as word is getting out, so get in as soon as you can. Continue reading Lonely Planet’s travel picks for 2011

Measuring what counts. The insignificance of GDP & the birth of GNH

31st Dec. 2010: In the early 1970s, the tiny nation of Bhutan stopped focusing on gross domestic product, or GDP. This wasn’t because the country was trying to hide its economic progress. It was because King Jigme Singye Wangchuck thought GDP measured the wrong things.

“Why are we so obsessed and focused with gross domestic product?” he asked a journalist inquiring about the country’s economy. “Why don’t we care more about gross national happiness?

And so began the birth of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index, or GNH. Continue reading Measuring what counts. The insignificance of GDP & the birth of GNH