The Department of Tourism says it will do away with SDF for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, MICE events with immediate effect. In a news release, the department stated that this is to position itself as a MICE events hotspot in the region.
According to the department, MICE events organisers can apply for a waiver of the daily SDF if the events have a minimum of seven participants, excluding organisers, speakers, or hosts and the participants may receive a waiver on the SDF for up to four nights per event excluding the travel days.
However, the waiver applies only to the participants and not accompanying partners, children, and friends. The Director General of the DoT said that the MICE market is one of the highest contributors to the global tourism industry.
According to the department, Bhutan welcomed more than 900 MICE travellers, mostly from Japan, the UK, Germany, and India, who significantly contributed to the local economy and community.
