From passion projects to paychecks, Bhutan’s digital content creators are not only building audiences but also generating employment and income. They are now seeing new growth with government’s support through the Economic Stimulus Programme. The programme has helped over 160 content creators over the past two fiscal years, creating around 3600 contract jobs and contributing over Nu 10 M to the country’s digital economy.
Tshering Denkar, widely known as Denkars Getaway, is Bhutan’s first solo female travel blogger and vlogger. With a love for the mountains and a passion for exploring the country, she has trekked nearly all of Bhutan’s iconic trails.
Today, with over 60,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, Denkar is turning her wanderlust into a profession sharing Bhutanese life with the world while inspiring other content creators. She later received support from the Economic Stimulus Programme, which has helped her expand her work.
“ESP fund has significantly enhanced my travel content creation. Besides that, for me, I have been able to increase my followers and subscribers on social media platform. What’s most important is I have been able to diversify my source of income, especially online, in particular, YouTube. In general, I think ESP fund has attributed towards inflow of remittances,” said Tshering Denkar.
Similarly, the ESP support has been transformative for Tsewang Psy Rigzin, who has been building a space for casual conversations through his podcast, PSY-POD. Featuring unfiltered and unedited banter on topics ranging from Bhutanese culture to everyday life, the podcast engages listeners of all ages on platforms like YouTube.
“I used the fund to improve my content. I used it to buy better sound equipment. I used it to hire an editor, and also the quality of sound and the image was better because of the editing, and it could generate better transitions, graphics, and with the sound more crisp and more professional setting sounds,” said Tshewang.
Over the past two fiscal years, about 160 Bhutanese content creators received Nu 50 M from the Department of Media, Creative Industry and Intellectual Property through its digital content component supporting music, vlogs, podcasts, and animation.
Beyond creativity, the impact is economic.
Between January and October 2025, creators earned over USD 45,000 from YouTube alone.
In the fiscal year 2024–2025, Nu 30 M supported 92 creators. In the current fiscal year, Nu 20 M supported 63 creators so far.
Although the Economic Stimulus Programme is time-bound, its impact is expected to continue shaping content creation into a growing source of income, employment, and a new creative economy.
Kinley Bidha
