JAKARTA – Unless the odds change, Bhutan will reopen to international tourists from September for the first time since the pandemic began more than two years ago, officials said, as the tiny Himalayan kingdom seeks to revive its economy.
Located between China and India, a country of splendid natural beauty and ancient Buddhist culture, it took a drastic first step and banned tourism, a major source of income, in March 2020 when the first cases of COVID-19 were detected there.
The constitutional monarchy of less than 800,000 people has reported fewer than 60,000 COVID-19 infections and just 21 deaths, but the $3 billion economy has contracted in the last two fiscal years, pushing more people into poverty.
Launching CNN Travel July 1, the Bhutan Tourism Board (TCB) said tourists would be allowed in from September 23.
However, these international tourists will be charged a Sustainable Development Fee of US$200 per tourist per night, up from US$65 that has been in place for three decades. Officials say the new fees will offset the carbon impact of tourists.
“COVID-19 has allowed us to reorganize, to rethink how the sector can be structured and operated properly, while keeping the carbon footprint low,” Tandi Dorji, TCB chairman and the country’s foreign minister, said in a statement.
In this regard, authorities say Bhutan has revised standards for service providers, such as hotels, guides, tour operators and drivers.
Bhutan’s tourism sector employs 50,000 people and contributes an annual average of around US$84 million in the three years before the pandemic in direct foreign exchange.
Bhutan opened to upscale tourists in 1974 when it received 300 visitors. The number jumped to 315,600 in 2019, up 15.1 percent from a year earlier, according to TCB data.
Separately, tour operators say visitors will be free to choose their own operators and plan trips. While previously, they could only choose from the packages offered by their carriers.
Sangay Phuntso, who runs the company Always Bhutan Travel in the capital Thimphu, said the cost might deter some, but not wealthier visitors.
“Those who can shop are welcome. We are interested,” said Phuntso.
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