Travelers can avoid paying a few of Bhutan’s day by day tourism fees, so long as they stay not less than five nights.
Last week, Bhutan announced changes to its Sustainable Development Fee which made headlines after it jumped from $65 to $200 a day when the country reopened its borders in September.
Travelers who pay the SDF for the primary 4 days can stay an extra 4 days without paying the fee, in line with an announcement on Bhutan’s Department of Tourism website.
Similarly, travelers who pay the fee for the primary seven days can stay an extra seven days without paying for the second week, while those that pay for 12 days are exempt from paying it for 18 days thereafter, it said.
This equates to $600 in savings for tourists staying per week, and a few $3,600 in savings for those staying a month.
The changes, effective June 1, are supposed to encourage vacationers to remain longer. Bhutan’s Department of Immigration created a website where travelers can calculate potential savings under the several incentive programs.
Travelers who’ve already booked trips to Bhutan can benefit from the brand new incentives by canceling their visas and re-applying for a latest one, in line with the announcement.
Government officials are quick to indicate that Bhutan’s SDF has not modified nevertheless, and stays $200 per traveler per night.
The brand new fee incentives — which officials have called a “promotion” — are set to stay in place until the tip of 2024, after which “the usual SDF will apply once more,” in line with tourism department.
A controversial fee
Spending not less than $200 a day is not latest to travelers to Bhutan.
Prior to the pandemic, tourists were required to spend a minimum of $200 to $250 per day, which was often wrapped into tour packages that included hotel, food and transportation charges in addition to the SDF, which was $65 on the time.
Bhutan scrapped that spending structure in 2022 in favor of a set $200 SDF for all tourists except:
- Children aged 6 to 11 years old, who pay 50% of the day by day SDF to go to, or $100;
- Children 5 and younger, who’re exempt from the fee.
Moreover, Indian nationals are charged 1,200 rupees per night ($14.50), while day visitors to Bhutanese border towns don’t must pay the SDF.
Supporters of Bhutan’s $200 day by day fee say it furthers the country’s goal to draw “high value, low volume” tourists who can afford the fees which is able to go toward upgrading infrastructure, protecting the environment and creating jobs that provide fair wages and dealing conditions.
But others argue the increased rates are “elitist,” and can harm the country’s travel industry that was already reeling from the results of the Covid-19 pandemic.
News that officials were considering changing the SDF followed discussions between Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and members of Bhutan’s tourism and business communities in April, in line with a neighborhood media report.
After residents argued the tourism fees were harming investment within the country and discouraging long vacations, Tshering assured community members that changes were within the works, the report said.
