Bhutan reopened its borders today after blocking access to foreign visitors for two and a half years due to the Covid pandemic. Bhutan opens after two years with a daily fee of Rs 1,200 for Indian Tourists
The Sustainable Development Fee, a revamped tourism levy, was introduced along with the reopening.
Details about Bhutan opens after two years with a daily fee of Rs 1,200 for Indian Tourists:
Bhutan increased its Sustainable Development Fee from the $65 it had been charging international visitors for the last three decades to $200 per visitor per night.
Indians were not charged anything before the start of the pandemic, but according to the guidelines, they must now pay a fee of Rs. 1200. The updated cost for visitors from India was never put into effect, nevertheless.
Following the discovery of its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, Bhutan closed its borders to travelers, a significant source of income.
The Himalayan Kingdom, which has a population of fewer than 800,000, has reported little over 61,000 infections and 21 fatalities, but its economy has struggled in recent years, leading to an increase in poverty.
According to Jigme Thinley Namgyal, Bhutan’s Consul General, “The Government of Bhutan has re-strategized its ‘High Value, Low Volume’ tourism policy to ensure the sustainable use of tourism resources and to create an enabling environment for a vibrant, non-discriminatory, inclusive, and high-value tourism industry in Bhutan.”
Bhutan, which is sandwiched between China and India and is known for measuring gross national happiness, wants to draw more tourists with disposable income.
“Being carbon neutral has its own costs, but tourism is a valuable national resource. To make our tourism sustainable, we are building our infrastructure. This is the main justification for this levy, “said the Consul General.
