Tourism reopening will ease Bhutan’s economic strains

Significance

The kingdom has raised the long-standing ‘sustainable development fee’ (SDF) for visitors from most countries to USD200 per night from USD65. It hopes that tourism revenue can help sustain the recovery of the pandemic-hit economy.

Impacts

• Bhutan will continue to emphasise that tourism is as much about creating links with the international community as generating revenue.
• The opening of a new cross-country hiking trail will be a major draw for many tourists.
• Visitors will have more freedom to design their own itineraries.