Bhutan’s Reopening at Long Last May Be Spoiled by Higher Tourist Fee
Photo Credit: Bhutan is all set to reopen to tourists on September 23. pixabay / suketdedhia
Skift Take
You know travel is back when even the most-cautious country announces a no-quarantine reopening, even if it is three months down the line in September. But not before making it amply clear it wants to concentrate on quality tourists, rather than attracting droves to the destination.
Bhutan will finally reopen its borders without quarantine to tourists from September 23. However, foreign tourists coming into the landlocked South Asian country will now have to shell out a hiked sustainable development fee — $200 per person per night, compared to the earlier $65.
The fee hike would go towards offsetting the carbon footprint of tourists and upskilling workers in the sector, a government statement read. The $65 sustainable development fee had been introduced in 1991.
The 300 percent fee hike is a clear reflection of Bhutan’s bid to attract high-value and low-volume tourism, but tour operators share mixed sentiments as many feel it would make the destination less competitive, said a Bhutanese tour operator on conditions of anonymity.
“Even before the reopening was announced, we had received bookings from three European groups, but now, after the fee hike, we are not too sure if
