The country reopened its border gates for tourists in September last year after a gap of over two years. However, providing visitors with basic amenities such as clean environment and hygienic restrooms are still a concern as per the Department of Tourism. In order to ensure that the visitors have access to clean restrooms and other basic infrastructure, the department outsourced the management of the roadside amenities starting with restrooms to a private firm on a pilot basis beginning this year. The firm currently manages two restrooms along the Phajoding Trail in Thimphu.
The restroom which is located along the Phajoding hiking trail in Thimphu is being managed by Pro Touch, a private cleaning and property management firm.
The firm also manages another restroom along the same trail.
“The biggest challenge is the garbage. We began our work in mid-January. We picked up waste and collected more than 60 kg of plastic waste so far. My humble request is for the public to be mindful of their waste,” said Namgay Tshering, Operational Manager of the firm.
After the renovation and cleaning of the trail, the firm compiled experiences and suggestions from some of the visitors.
“We spent four days and three nights in the mountain and to come back and find a toilet like this is quite special. The only suggestion I have is that somebody tells the people to stop throwing small pieces of plastic. We need to tell people that this is not meant to live in the mountain,” said Scot Baker, Tourist.
“It is very good. I did not expect to find it here. In our country and in Hong Kong where we live, we don’t have something like this. It is very clean, very good, and there is water and soap and other amenities. I am impressed,” said Aries, another tourist.
The company has also collected more than 60 kilograms of waste and recorded more than 400 people travelling through the trail between February and March this year alone.
With the upward revision of the sustainable development fee (SDF) to 200 US dollars per person per night, the need to provide tourists with high-end infrastructure and services has become vital. According to the Department of Tourism, this is to protect and promote exclusivity and to provide a positive experience for visitors.
According to the Director General of DoT, the complaints from the tourists to date are all in regard to improper waste management and unhygienic restrooms.
“We received some complaints about it from the tourists. Before the pandemic, we used to carry out exit surveys from tourists. When the tourists leave the country after their visit, we hand them some questions and all of them have an issue with the cleanliness of the restrooms and waste management. It has been just around six months after Bhutan reopened its borders to tourists. After another six months, we will be conducting the exit survey.”
He added that the issues of these amenities arise due to the carelessness of the public.
“If the public is mindful of their waste and proper flushing of the restroom after use, we don’t have to hire people to take care of such amenities. The poor and unhygienic condition of the restrooms is not caused by the tourists. It is the public here who fails to keep it clean.”
The Department of Tourism said that if the pilot project bears positive outcomes, they will hand over all the government toilets in the country to private firms like Pro Touch. They added that providing clean restrooms and a clean environment to our visitors is an obligation.
Chenga Dawa
Edited by Phub Gyem
