Bhutan being sold as a budget destination is one of the main concerns for the government. This according to the Foreign Affairs Minister undermines the tourism policy of “High Value, Low Impact.” To overcome such issues, the Tourism Council of Bhutan submitted draft strategy to the Foreign Ministry recently.
At the press conference yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Tandi Dorji who is also the chairman of the tourism shared that the options made on the strategy will be submitted to the Prime Minister for the internal discussion. After that it will be submitted to the cabinet if necessary.
“During the previous government’s tenure, Prime Minister’s meeting with the Indian counterpart, there was a mutual understanding that Bhutan should take measures to control the number of tourists coming so that we can handle them,” Dr. Tandi Dorji, Foreign Affairs Minister, said.
According to the Minister, capping tourism and introducing daily tariff as recommended by the pay commission are some of the options that the government is looking at. The Fourth Pay Commission recommended introduction of sustainable development fee for the regional tourists.
“All tourists who come must follow through a certain mechanism. Standard hotels, guided tours etc. These are various options that we have before us. We are developing a strategy and that strategy is already in draft form and within this week I will be submitting to honourable Prime Minister,” he added.
The minister ensured that the government will decide on this matter after consultation with the counterparts. Once the proposal gets through the strategy will have all the regulations to manage regional tourists. Over 2,74,000 tourists visited Bhutan last year.
