The Economic Affairs Committee of the National Council has raised concerns over the uneven distribution of tourists across the country. The rest of the country receive significantly fewer visitors than the western region, which the committee attributes to poor infrastructure and the higher Sustainable Development Fee for longer stays. These issues were discussed during the presentation of the interim report on the State of Tourism in Bhutan on Friday.
According to pre-covid tourism data, in 2019 the western region welcomed nearly 231,000 tourists, while the central region attracted only about 18,000. The eastern region saw over 7,000 tourists, and the southern region just over 4,500.
The committee’s chairperson explained that the western region benefits from well-developed infrastructure, including Paro International Airport, extensive road networks, and numerous tourist hotels.
Tshewang Rinchen, Chairperson of Economic Affairs Committee said “The number of tourists is uneven across regions, and this is obvious. The other regions lack strong infrastructure, such as transportation facilities, road networks, and tourist hotels. Additionally, there are few attractive spots for tourists. These differences are why tourists are less likely to visit these areas.”
National Council members proposed various recommendations to address the disparity.
Phuntsho Rapten, an eminent member of National Council said “It’s fine for tourists arriving by air, but we need to assess whether the hotels, tour agents, and guides are benefiting from revenues generated by tourists entering through border areas by road. It’s important to evaluate whether the benefits stay within the country’s borders.”
Sonam Tobgyel, National Council member of Trashigang said “Our country does not have a tourism act. We have been operating under policies, but the goal of establishing an act has not been outlined. How can tourism succeed without proper legislative guidance?”
He also raised questions about the progress on plans to establish airports in the eastern regions to ensure more balanced infrastructure for tourism.
As of September this year, Bhutan received over 95,000 tourists, with more than 31,000 being international visitors.
The Economic Affairs Committee plans to hold further consultations with the Department of Immigration, the Department of Tourism, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Employment, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Committee also informed that a comprehensive report on the country’s state of tourism will be presented during the Council’s summer session.
Meanwhile, in a bid to boost tourism in the eastern region, the government opened a new route for international tourists through Samdrup Jongkhar last week.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Kipchu
