Bhutan planning to slash ‘expensive’ airfares to boost tourism

In a move to boost tourism in the country, Bhutan has announced plans to reduce the 'expensive' airfares for visitors travelling to the country. As per the country's Finance Minister, this step would result in an uptick of travellers to the country and increase the number of visitors visiting the nation. Reportedly, it has been found that expensive airfare is one of the prominent reasons behind discouraging travellers from travelling to Bhutan.

Apart from this, the government has put in place a number of incentives, such as lowering the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) from USD200 to USD100 per person, each night.
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Other plans include permitting low-cost hotels to accommodate tourists and creating other long-stay incentive programmes. The government is currently taking action to encourage travellers by considering price reductions. If reports are to go by, the government is planning to do so with Drukair Corporation and Bhutan Airlines to reduce the airfare for the tourists. This is part of the government’s incentive, considering the tourists complain about the expensive airfare, added Finance Minister Namgay Tshering. However, other lawmakers believe that the SDF policy's frequent modifications are not the ideal strategy for advancing the tourist sector.



In an effort to invigorate its tourism industry, Bhutan is embarking on a strategic plan to make travelling to the country more accessible and attractive for visitors. The Finance Minister emphasised that this move is poised to usher in a significant influx of travellers and boost the overall number of visitors to Bhutan. It is a well-known fact that the ‘expensive’ airfare has often been a deterrent for potential travellers, discouraging them from choosing Bhutan as their destination.

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However, it's worth noting that not all lawmakers are in complete agreement with the frequent modifications to the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) policy, as some believe that there may be alternative strategies to foster growth in the tourism sector that should be explored.