Tourist arrivals in Bhutan have decreased due to new tourism laws.

Tourism Laws

GUWAHATI: Bhutan, which reopened its border to tourists on September 23 this year after a two-year hiatus following the Covid-10 pandemic, has seen a significant drop in tourist arrivals thanks to the Himalayan nation’s new Tourism Laws.

Hard hit by the pandemic, the country’s tourism industry showed hope of recovery after the doors were reopened to visitors, but the dwindling number of tourists has left those in the tourism sector worried.
Official sources said that the number of tourists in the country has decreased due to the new tourism policy.

According to the new rule, Indian tourists will now have to pay Rs 1200 per night.

International tourists except Indian visitors have to pay a fee of $200 per night.

“There has been a significant drop in Indian tourists after the Bhutanese government imposed sky-high sustainable development fees on visitors. \

The hefty fees have deterred many Indian tourists from visiting the country,” a Bhutanese government official said. , who did not want to be named, said.
According to data from the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), about 315,600 tourists visited in 2019, with tourists contributing an average of $84 million per year to the economy for the three years before the pandemic.

TCB figures further show, before the pandemic, about 3,000 tourists visited the country to witness the famous Thimphu Shechu festival, which begins in the last week of September.

The country decided to reopen its borders on September 23 this year, as it coincides with a three-day festival.
However, this year, the country failed to achieve the target of tourist arrivals during the festival.

For any visitors entering Bhutan through land borders, guides are mandatory when visitors exit border towns, which is also one of the reasons behind the slide.

It should be noted that most tourists come to Bhutan from India. In 2020 alone, about 22,298 of the 29,812 tourists visiting Bhutan were from India. Most Indian tourists enter Bhutan through land borders and have to pay extra to the guide.
Reduced traffic has affected tour operators in India as well as in Bhutan. Apart from the local economy, it has also severely damaged the owners of low-cost hotels and homestays and the leaders of the Himalayan country.