While all stakeholders in the tourism sector are in support of the new “One Tourism Policy”, some are sceptical of the time-frame set for its implementation. Some stakeholders are suggesting that the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) should take more than five years to implement the new policy. Last month the TCB said it is planning to fast-track the implementation of the policy by around five years ahead of the set time-frame.
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Bhutan, one of the stakeholders said the hotels will be most affected if the government fast-tracks the implementation of the one tourism system from the set time frame of 2030.
The Association’s chairperson says TCB and stakeholders will need time to study and review the impacts of the policy first. He said there are around eight hundred hotels in the country today of which around six hundred are catering only to regional tourists.
“Most of these hotels have been established when there were two policies- one each for regional tourist and international tourists. And now after all these businesses have been established when you say we want to change and place under one policy it will be a big concern and affect business potentials for these hotels who are built to target only the regional tourists,” said Sonam Wangchuk, a Chairman of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Bhutan
Similarly, the Guide Association of Bhutan is of the view that more time will be needed to market Bhutan as a high-end destination. Meanwhile, the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators is waiting for more details on the policy guidelines.
Guide Association of Bhutan’s chairman Garab Dorji said, “I am in agreement with them but I don’t think it is possible to implement this within three to five years. I would say definitely in the long run, maybe say in another seven, eight or ten years but not immediate. Mainly because of the COVID-19 and also I think we have to market it professionally. Despite India being our closest neighbour a lot of Indians who can travel do not know which travel company to contact to visit Bhutan. We need to do good marketing to attract high-end Indian tourists”
“In principle, ABTO has always been supportive of this policy. We don’t want to differentiate along source markets, we don’t want to differentiate along tariff lines. But for us at this stage, we are not fully aware of the details of the policy. For example, we don’t know what the guidelines will look like. We don’t know how it will impact the pricing of airfare, on the pricing of the tourist attraction. So I think at this stage it is very important for us to have consultative meetings and discussions with the private sector since it will impact us directly as well” added Rabsel Dorji, the ABTO’s Board Director.
The TCB said it will work towards the one tourism system within the next three to five years whereby every tourist will have to pay a uniform minimum daily package rate of USD 250 per night. As of today, tourists visiting the country are categorized into two types- international and regional tourists. International tourists pay the daily tariff of USD 250. Regional tourists only have to pay the sustainable development fee of Nu 1,200 per day.
Phub Gyem
