Travelers can avoid paying some Bhutan each day tourist fees so long as they stay not less than five nights.
Last week, Bhutan announced changes to its sustainability fee, which made headlines after jumping from $65 to $200 a day when the country reopened its borders in September.
Travelers who’ve paid SDF for the primary 4 days may stay for the following 4 days freed from charge, as per an commercial on the web site of the Bhutanese Department of Tourism.
Similarly, travelers who pay the fee for the primary seven days can stay for the following seven days without paying for the second week, while those that pay for 12 days are exempt from paying the fee for the following 18 days.
This equates to $600 in savings for tourists staying for per week and roughly $3,600 in savings for those staying for a month.
The changes, which is able to come into force on June 1, are intended to encourage holidaymakers to remain longer. Bhutanese Immigration Department created an internet site where travelers can calculate potential savings under various incentive programs.
As announced, travelers who’ve already booked trips to Bhutan can benefit from the brand new incentives by canceling their visas and reapplying for a recent one.
Government officials are quick to indicate that Bhutan’s SDF has not modified and stays at $200 per traveler per night.
New fee incentives – which officials have dubbed “promotion– are to stay in place until the top of 2024, after which “standard SDF will apply again”, in response to the tourism department.
A controversial fee
Spending not less than $200 a day is nothing recent for travelers to Bhutan.
Before the pandemic, tourists needed to spend not less than $200 to $250 a day, which was often wrapped up in tour packages that included hotel fees, food, and transportation, in addition to SDF, which was $65 on the time.
Bhutan dropped this spending structure in 2022 in favor of a set $200 SDF for all tourists except:
- Children 6 to 11 years old who pay 50% of the each day SDF per visit or $100;
- Children as much as 5 years of age who’re exempt from the fee.
In addition, Indian residents pay 1,200 rupees per night (US$14.50), while visitors to Bhutanese border towns would not have to pay SDF.
Supporters of Bhutan’s $200 each day fee say it furthers the country’s goal of attracting “high-value, low-volume” tourists who can afford the fees, which will probably be used to upgrade infrastructure, protect the environment, and create jobs with fair wages and dealing conditions.
But others say the increased rates are “eliteand can hurt the country’s tourism industry, which was already reeling from the results of the Covid-19 pandemic.
News broke that officials were considering changing the SDF discussions between Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotai Tshering and members of Bhutanese tourism and business communities in April, local media reported.
After residents argued that tourism fees hurt investment within the country and discouraged long vacations, Tshering reassured community members that changes were underway, the report said.
