Bhutan will open for tourists but it is expensive, the government raised fees [TKB Travel]

The good news that tourists were waiting for for a long time has finally arrived. Tourists will now be able to visit Bhutan soon. Bhutan’s border will be opened for tourists from all over the world from 23 September 2022. For this, the Bhutan government has also made many changes in its tourism policy. Its purpose is to improve the tourism sector of the country.

Bhutan has always been very cautious about the environment. Bhutan’s new tourism policy seeks to focus more on infrastructure, services, tourist experiences and the environment. Along with this, Bhutan has also increased the fees charged from foreign tourists. Dr Tandi Dorji, Bhutan’s Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Tourism Council, said in a press release, “All these steps are aimed at providing a great tourist experience and providing good jobs to our citizens.”

Now the standards of many service providers including hotels, guides, tour operators and drivers have been changed. Amidst the growing threat of climate change, Bhutan will also intensify its efforts to deal with them. In the new policy, several steps will be taken to make the country a carbon-negative and green destination for tourists.

Fees will increase- In order to work on its efforts, the Bhutan government has decided to increase the tourist fees as well. The sustainable development fee will be increased from $65 to $ 200 per person for a one-night stay. It will be used to make Bhutan’s tourism carbon neutral and further strengthen the tourism sector.

Indians will get discount- In the midst of all this, there is news of relief for Indian tourists. At present, no fee has been increased for them and they will pay the prescribed fee as before. On behalf of the government of Bhutan, it has been said that in the year 2022 for regional tourists including Indians, a fee of Rs 1200 per day was fixed but it could not be implemented yet. The government has said that some amendments can be made in this also in the coming time.

At the same time, the Minimum Daily Package Rate (MDPR) will also be removed. This is a kind of package rate that tourists visiting Bhutan have to pay as a minimum amount. Under the MDPR, the experience of tourists was limited as they had to choose the package given by the tour operators. In the new policy, this right has been given to tourists. Tourists will now be able to contact the service providers directly and pay according to the service availed. This change has come into effect from June 20.

Bhutan has high hopes from this improvement in the tourism sector. The impact of this change is expected to affect every region of the country. It is the effort of the government that the people here can be made more efficient and capable so that they can help the country move forward with their knowledge and experience and they can get employment within the country itself.