Thanks to some sweet deals, Bhutan’s seeing double the tourist action in the first quarter of 2024. Yep, those tourism tax promos are working like a charm.
As per Travel Daily News on Thursday (9/5), the flow of tourists into the Kingdom of Bhutan from January 1 to March 31, 2024, has shot up big time.
March alone saw a whopping 14,822 arrivals, more than doubling compared to the same time last year. Bhutan’s been gradually picking up steam since May 2023 with 16,609 arrivals, followed by 16,465 in October.
Government stats show that 60% of the visitors in 2024 were from India, with the remaining 40% coming from various countries like the US, UK, China, Germany, Singapore, France, Italy, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, and Canada. And check this out, arrivals from India jumped 77%, the US surged 105%, and the UK climbed 84%.
“The 97% spike in guest arrivals from January to March in Bhutan is probably thanks to a few things. First off, slashing the Sustainable Development Fee to just USD 100 per night has made Bhutan a more budget-friendly getaway,” explained Carissa Nimah, Chief Marketing Officer of the Department of Tourism.
Post-pandemic, Bhutan had hiked up tourist taxes to 200 bucks for eco-sustainability. But realizing that’s a bit steep, they brought it down to a hundred bucks per visitor.
Plus, there’s been a massive uptick in Bhutan’s global street cred among travelers and travel agents worldwide. Ongoing efforts to get noticed are paying off, especially since Bhutan isn’t just a quick hop for most tourists.
“Bhutan’s made it onto the must-visit list for 2024 in many top-notch global publications, which has definitely put us on the map and brought in more curious visitors,” she said.
Nimah’s aiming for even more folks from all corners of the globe. And from the looks of it, their hard work’s paying off.
“With numbers looking promising and heading in the right direction, we’re pumped for a stellar year in tourism,” she grinned.