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High Value, low Volume Tourism

tourism in bhutan

Bhutan is possibly one of the best examples of sustainable eco-tourism and one country that is committed to this concept, inspired by the Buddhist view of the interdependence between man and nature.

Expressed in the unique development philosophy – Gross National Happiness – the national policy of High Value, Low Volume tourism asks every visitor to be sensitive to a social, cultural and environmental system that is trying to preserve the best of its tradition in a rapidly changing world. The government is determined to safeguard its heritage to ensure that the people maintain their dignity against the onslaught of globalization and modernization.

As mystical as its name sound, the Land of the Thunder Dragon is not a museum; it is an existing culture and possibly one of the last living examples of a rich Himalayan society.

While tourism may be important as a revenue earner to support the country’s free health and education services, Bhutan sees no gain in succumbing to over commercialism even in the field of tourism. It recognizes that a small country emerging from centuries of isolation must do so in its own time and at its own pace. A modern economy is gently being introduced to the dominantly rural subsistence livelihood of a majority of its people. Hence, the policy of High Value, Low Volume tourism to enable Bhutan to share its culture with the world and to learn from visitors who seek a destination that is anachronism in today’s global fast paced world.

Bhutan opened to tourism in 1974 and the government adopted a cautious tourism policy from the beginning to avoid negative impacts that mass tourism could have on a small country.

(visitors pay a minimum of US 200/day, an all-inclusive payment for accommodation, meals, guide, travel and Tourism Development Fund.)

This exclusive policy was Bhutan’s representation of eco-tourism. The government has long lived up to its vision of sustainable living, encapsulated in its Gross National Happiness policy and middle path to development. Mountaineering is closed even when the world’s climbers are waiting eagerly at is doorstep to conquer any of the 20 virgin peaks within Bhutan. About 70 percent of the land is under forest cover, and Bhutan aims to preserve its majesty.

Tourism if one of the largest generators of foreign exchange for the country’s small economy. The Tourism Council of Bhutan is clear that it policy of High Value, Low Volume, is the right policy because Bhutan is just too small for mass tourism.

And as the world begins to discover the Land of the Thunder Dragon, many go away with the sense of having been in a special place, far from insanity of modern living. Here is a land where life may not be materially luxurious but it provides much that is good for a society that is not ye caught up with the global rat race.

As Bhutan steps into the 21st century, it is determined to keep its heritage, its spirit and culture alive in fast homogenizing world.

The Tourism Council of Bhutan guides, monitors and regulates the tourism industry. One of the Council’s main functions in the next few years is to maintain a high standard of hospitality and service in Bhutan and to ensure adequate infrastructure for tourism to maintain Bhutan as a high-quality tourist destination. A fee of US 10 from each tourist to develop infrastructure is levied.

There are more than 1300 licensed guides and more than 478 registered tour operators in Bhutan although many of them cater only to a small number of tourists each year. Together with employees of the national airline, Druk Air, tourism employs more than 3,000 people. Tourism is second largest revenue earner for Bhutan after hydropower.

The Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO) is responsible for strengthening the private tour operations in Bhutan. It provides opportunity for tourism training and works with the Tourism Council of Bhutan in marketing Bhutan as a tour destination.