Farmhouses of Chhoekhor Gewog’s remote Chhoekhor Toed in Bumthang are struggling to attract a good number of visitors. It has been a couple of years now. The farmhouse owners believe that poor road condition and lack of a proper marketing strategy could be affecting their business.
About six years ago, running a farmhouse became an emerging business in Chhoekhor Toed. The facilities received regular clients who were the people working at the nearby Wangchuck Centennial National Park, erstwhile WWF Project, and the construction site of GNH Centre at Nangsiphel.
The Wangchuck Centennial National Park even trained villagers from 20 households to set up farmhouses in the locality. They were provided with free toilet construction materials as well.
But, once the project and construction works of the GNH Centre were over, the farmhouse business started declining.
“Some travel agents do not even know that there are farmhouses here. Some say it looks like there is no settlement beyond Thangbi, which is next to the Gewog office. We do get a few visitors annually but the road from the town to our village is not so good. Moreover, when the weather is not favourable, most reservations are cancelled and the guests stay at Chamkhar,” Pema Lhazom, a farmhouse owner, said.
“I am not sure about the reasons for fewer visitors. I think it is due to the bad road condition. I didn’t have any visitors in the last two years” Ugyen Tshomo, another farmhouse owner, said.
The conversion of the farm road between Chhoekhor Gewog Office and Upper Chhoekhor to a feeder road has been deliberated in the past Dzongkhag Tshogdu sessions. If it happens, the road condition is likely to improve.
Chhoekhor Toed has cultural sites such as the revered Zhabjethang Lhakhang where there are footprints of Guru Rimpoche, Kungzangcholing Goenpa and the ruins of Drapham Dzong, which used to the residence of the then Chhoekhor Deb. There are also trekking routes such as the Febila Trek and Raven Day Hike. The place is considered suitable for bird watching as well.
