SOON BHUTAN WILL NO MORE BE A FREE ENTRY FOR INDIA, BANGLADESH AND MALDIVES

From JULY 2020 Bhutan will not be a free entry country for Indians as Thimpu passes new policy to regulate regional tourists.

In a rather historic move, ending decades of free entry to “regional tourists” visiting Bhutan (tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives), the government of Bhutan in Thimphu has decided to impose a daily ₹1,200 ($17) fee for “regional tourists” beginning July 2020. The fee, called a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), is meant to help the government deal with burgeoning numbers in tourist traffic, which it is seeking to regulate through a new tourism policy.

The policy was passed by the National Assembly of Bhutan on Tuesday as a ‘Tourism Levy and Exemption Bill of Bhutan’, 2020. The SDF is considerably lower than the $65 charged to other foreign tourists, who are also charged a compulsory flat “cover charge” of $250 per day. This new policy will not impact the other foreign tourists charges in any way.

Indians mainly travel to the more developed western region of Bhutan. In a move to promote tourism in Bhutan’s eastern region as well, the government has decided to drop SDF charges for tourists visiting 11 of 20 total districts that fall in the east from Trongsa to Trashigang. Children from India, Maldives and Bangladesh under the age of 5 will not have to pay the levy and those between 6 and 12 years will be required to pay only ₹600.

Bhutan’s Tourism Council Director Dorji Dhradul said the idea of the SDF was to provide better facilities for regional tourists.
More details on the changes are expected to come in next few weeks!

As of now entry to Bhutan for Indians is still free and they can enter just by filling a form upon arrival and showing either passport or voter ID card. There is a vehicle tax of INR 100 per vehicle per day (irrespective of vehicle type) through if you wish to roam in Indian vehicle in Bhutan.

Few months back an Indian biker’s visuals went viral who stood upon a stupa like structure on a sacred Bhutani site Dochula after which strong reactions & demands came from most of Bhutan to do something to limit tourist outburst from regional tourists specially from India which government of Bhutan also seem to have taken seriously!

We personally think that this charge is not too bad keeping Bhutan’s famous efforts to remain carbon negative country and it also adds a physical value to the responsibility we should carry while visiting a foreign land.

Let us know your views in comments.