Tourism in Bhutan

Tourism in Bhutan began in 1974, when the Government of Bhutan, in an effort to raise revenue and to promote Bhutanese unique culture and traditions to the outside world, opened its isolated country to foreigners. In 1974 a total of 287 tourists visited the Kingdom of Bhutan. The number of tourists visiting Bhutan increased to 2,850 in 1992, and rose dramatically to 7,158 in 1999. By the late 1980s tourism contributed over US$2 million in annual revenue.

Though open to foreigners, the Bhutanese government is aware of the environmental impact tourists can have on Bhutan's unique and virtually unspoiled landscape and culture. Accordingly, they have restricted the level of tourist activity from the start, preferring higher-quality tourism. Initially, this policy was known as "high value, low volume" tourism. It was renamed in 2008 as "high value, low impact", "a subtle but significant shift". While the low impact is guaranteed through the low number of visitors, it is a requirement to be wealthy to travel Bhutan, which leaves room for criticism and the question whether one has to be wealthy to be a "high value tourist". For tourists a US$ 100 per person per day fee is imposed, except for Indian, Maldivian, and Bangladeshi nationals. In 2005 a document called "Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy" "placed greater emphasis on increasing tourist numbers by using the country's culture and environment to promote Bhutan as an exotic niche destination attractive to wealthy tourists". The most important centres for tourism are in Bhutan's capital, Thimphu, and in the western city of Paro, Taktshang, a cliff-side monastery (called the "Tiger's Nest" in English) overlooking the Paro Valley, is one of the country's attractions. This temple is sacred to Buddhists. Housed inside the temple is a cave in which the Buddhist Deity who brought Buddhism to Bhutan meditated for 90 days in order to spread Buddhism. The temple has been standing for well over a thousand years.

In order to grow and promote tourism while encouraging sustainability and community development, the Department of Tourism (DoT) launched the "Friends of Tourism" initiative on 28th december 2024 at the Changyul Park to celebrate a historic milestone for Bhutan’s tourism industry—the Druk Thuksey Medal conferred to the industry by His Majesty The King. The program's goal is to bring people and organisations together as partners in order to support Bhutan's goals, develop the country's tourism industry, and provide meaningful experiences. Additionally, the DoT started a monthly tourism bulletin to update stakeholders on developments in the sector. According to the bulletin report, 15,990 tourists visited Bhutan in November 2024. Of these, 7,034 were international tourists, while 8,956 were from India. An estimated 7,986 visitors arrived via Paro International Airport, 8,018 via the Phuentsholing Integrated Check Post, 41 by Samdrupjongkhar, and 16 via Gelephu each.