This Himalayan nation is all set to welcome back tourists from September
Premium- Bhutan's tourism board has also issued new monetary regulations aimed at reviving the contracted economy
After over two years of the coronavirus pandemic induced lockdown, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan on 30 June announced that they will open for tourists from September this year.
The move now aims to revive the economy of the Bhutan.
The country has reported fewer than 60,000 infections and only 21 deaths.
Bhutan's $3 billion economy contracted in the last two fiscal years. This pushed more people into poverty.
Bhutan banned tourism early into the pandemic in a bid to combat the spread of the virus in the nation. The country replete with scenic natural beauty and ancient Buddhist culture took drastic steps, stopping a major source of income in March 2020 when the first Covid-19 case was detected.
The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) said tourists would be allowed to enter from 23 September.
"Covid-19 has allowed us to reset -- to rethink how the sector can be best structured and operated... while keeping carbon footprints low," Tandi Dorji, TCB chairman and Bhutan's foreign minister, said in a statement.
The TCB has announced new regulations for the tourists that will visit from 23 September. The tourists will be charged a Sustainable Development Fee of $200 per tourist per night, up from the $65 charged for three decades.
The officials have also confirmed that this fee will offset tourists' carbon impact.
Service providers in the tourism sector such as hotels, guides, tour operators, and drivers, have also been directed to follow an updated set of directives.
Tourism employs 50,000 people and contributed an annual average of about ₹6 billion in the three years before the pandemic in direct foreign exchange.
Bhutan opened to high-end tourists in 1974. That year the country eceived 300 visitors. The number soared to 315,600 in 2019, up 15.1% from a year earlier, TCB data showed.
Tour operators said visitors would be free to choose their own operators and plan itineraries, whereas before they could choose only from the packages offered by their operators.