Kolkata: $250 fee may make Bhutan ‘too hot’ for budget traveller

KOLKATA/SILIGURI: Bhutan may go out of reach for the budget traveller, with tour operators in Kolkata and Siliguri saying the country was planning to charge a minimum daily fee of $250 (Rs 17,782) from Indian tourists starting sometime next year.

The tiny Himalayan kingdom already charges this amount per foreign visitor per day, but those from India, Bangladesh and the Maldives are exempt.The charge includes a $65 ‘Sustainable Development Fee’ (SDF) and $40 visa charge. That may change next year — although it’s not known exactly when — if the new policy kicks in.

Sources said the fee would include, apart from the SDF and visa charge, several other things (see graphic).
This daily fee, fear tour operators, will keep out ‘short-hop’ budget tourists — especially large groups visiting Darjeeling or Sikkim who cross over to Bhutan for a couple of days, often sharing rooms and spending very little. “This move will cut down the number of Bhutan-bound Indian tourists. As a common practice, almost all of them spend at least two nights in the eastern Himalayan region, which includes Sikkim and the Bengal foothills,” said tourism consultant Raj Basu. According to Dorji Dhradhul, the director-general of Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), the move is aimed at Bhutan’s ‘High Value, Low Impact’ tourism policy. “This policy draft has been under preparation for the last four years,” said a person associated with Bhutan tourism.
Being predominantly a leisure destination, Bhutan attracts family groups from India and Bangladesh. “At present, regional tourists have to pay Rs 50 to Rs 500 per person for every entry point to different sight-seeing points. If the rule changes, the SDF alone will cost a family of five Rs 23,000 extra for a short trip. That is quite high for budget-conscious tourists, who constitute 65% to 70% of the total number of Indian visitors to Bhutan. In fact, the impact will be quite palpable if the total fee exceeds Rs 500 per person daily,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary, Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network.
According to TCB statistics, of 2,74,097 visitors to Bhutan in 2018, the number of regional tourists was 2,02,290 (almost 74%). Of this, there were 1,91,836 Indian (almost 95% of the regional tourist count) and 10,450 Bangladeshi tourists.
“There has been no official communication from the Bhutan government as of now,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman (east), Travel Agents Federation of India. “But we are all learning that the move may come into effect from next year. About 90% of tourists from India take the rail and road route to enter Bhutan through the Phuentsholing border because of the no-visa policy. If the authorities start charging the minimum daily fee from Indian tourists, too, as it charges from other foreigners, it will no longer be the most affordable foreign destination for Indian tourists,” he added.
The rules governing tourism in Bhutan were approved in 1972. It paved the way for Bhutan’s participation in the international tourism industry, with the first group of 287 official tourists visiting Bhutan in 1974. Since then, Bhutan’s tourism industry follows a unique sustainable approach of ‘High Value, Low Volume’ and has consistently sought to ensure a cautious tourism sector growth that is within the carrying capacity of the country’s physical, socio-cultural and natural environment. The premise of the tourism development policy is rooted in the overall development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) to promote sustainable tourism that meets the needs of present visitors and destinations while enhancing opportunities for the future, according to the draft policy.
“We have sent a letter to the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TAB), requesting them to put the new draft tourism policy up for discussion with cross-border tourism stakeholders,” said Sanyal. “We have also planned to send it to external affairs minister. The government of Bhutan, however, has not finalised the new policy; it is at the discussion stage. We have not received any official confirmation from the Bhutan government, but received the information through media reports.”
Asked about the booking rush, Sanyal said the rush is still there, and until there is any official confirmation from the Bhutan government, he did not think that there would be any fall in bookings.
Bhutan shares a border with north Bengal at Jaigaon, 154km from Siliguri. The country is connected to Siliguri via road. On the air route, Kolkata has at least one direct flight to Paro on all days of the week except Saturday.
“I have heard about the new tourist policy. I will have a word with the chief minister in this matter,” said state tourism minister Gautam Deb.