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☆ Think Bhutan’s $100 daily tourism fee is pricey? It could go even higher, says prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Penny Sadler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bhutan may reconsider its controversial $100 daily tourism fees if the country's tourism industry recovers soon, Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay told CNBC on May 10. Bhutan reopened its borders in September 2022 with an increased "Sustainable Development Fee" of $200 per person per day in place. Indian travelers pay a reduced fee of 1,200 Bhutanese ngultrum ($14.50) per night, and daytrippers from India are exempt from the fee, according to Bhutan's Department of Immigration. The rate often included hotel, transportation and tour guide costs, and the mandatory $65 Sustainable Development Fee. Now, those costs are in addition to the $100 Sustainable Development Fee.

Persons: Tshering Tobgay, Tobgay, Tobgay's Organizations: Bhutan's, CNBC, Bhutan's Department of Immigration, Tourism, of Bhutan, Tobgay's People's Democratic Party . Locations: Bhutan, Asia, India, daytrippers

People flee following shots fired at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. China is vital to that effort as the biggest source of foreign visitors to Thailand in pre-COVID years. 'SHOCKED'Chinese visitors accounted for 11 million of a record 39.9 million foreign tourists to Thailand in 2019, before the pandemic. Thailand recorded 20 million foreign tourist arrivals in the January to October period, who spent 839 billion baht ($22.58 billion). At the re-opened Siam Paragon mall, on a typically gridlocked thoroughfare, crowds were trickling back.

Persons: Devjyot, Srettha Thavisin, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Somsong Sachaphimukh, Dong Peijian, Napat Wesshasartar, Thomas Suen, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Police, Siam Paragon, Tourism Authority of, Tourism Council, Thomson Locations: Siam, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, China, Myanmar, Asia's, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai, Southeast Asia

REUTERS/Jorge SilvaBANGKOK/NEW DELHI, July 17 (Reuters) - Indian tourists are streaming into Southeast Asia, cementing the world most populous country's position as a key growth market for a travel and tourism sector that is feeling the pinch of China's slower-than-expected re-opening. "Southeast Asia is obviously very well positioned for a lot of the growth that is inevitably going to come from India," aviation analyst Brendan Sobie told an industry conference last month. Tanes Petsuwan, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said 1.6 million Indians were expected to visit the kingdom this year. Indians are helping to sustain a post-pandemic rebound for hospitality chains, including Minor Hotels, which has 45 properties in Southeast Asia with more than 6,000 rooms. Thailand's central bank expects 29 million visitors this year and 35.5 million in 2024.

Persons: Jorge Silva, Brendan Sobie, Tanes Petsuwan, Chai Eamsiri, Chai, Vinay Malhotra, IndiGo's, Sobie, Dillip, Pratyush Tripathy, That's, Somsong Sachaphimukh, Somsong, Pasit, Stefanno Sulaiman, Neil Jerome Morales, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Jorge Silva BANGKOK, Thai Airways, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Reuters, Asian Development Bank, Tourism Authority, IndiGo, Airbus, Minor, Bank of, Tourism Council of, Thomson Locations: India, Thailand, Patong, Phuket, DELHI, Asia, China, Thai, Singapore, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kolkata, Pattaya, Europe, United States, Thailand's, Bank of Thailand, Tourism Council of Thailand, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, MANILA

☆ Bhutan welcomes back tourists after COVID-19 with honey, turmeric and SIM cards
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A group of foreign tourists with a local guide walk past a row of shops selling handicrafts in Thimphu May 22, 2012. Wedged between China and India, the country known for its natural beauty and ancient Buddhist culture, first opened to wealthy tourists in 1974. In March 2020 it shut its borders to visitors - a major source of income - after detecting its first case of COVID-19. "We feel through tourism we can do that ... take advantage of their support and goodwill," he told Reuters from Bhutan, referring to the international community. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Gopal SharmaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ You can visit Bhutan again — if you're willing to cough up $200 a day in fees
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Monica Buchanan Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Andrew Stranovsky Photography | Moment | Getty ImagesSam Blyth, chair of The Bhutan Canada Foundation and founder of the Trans Bhutan Trail, said the fees will go directly to help local communities. Travelers, too, will benefit from the increased fees, according to the Tourism Council. However, the Tourism Council of Bhutan said the pandemic provided the right time "to reset the sector." He is the founder of the Trans Bhutan Trail, a not-for-profit company that helped revitalize a 250-mile ancient trail that traverses the center of the country. Sam Blyth, Trans Bhutan Trail, visiting Bhutan, trekking Bhutan

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