(TAN): Trips to Bhutan could now become dearer for Indians after Bhutan’s Lower House passed a legislation making it compulsory for tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives to pay a fee of BTN 1,200 (USD 16.82 approximately) a day from July, reports said.
Bhutan decided to introduce the ‘sustainable development fee’ following a rise in the number of Indian visitors that created concerns over the conservation of the Himalayan kingdom’s ecosystem, as per reports.
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According to reports, foreign tourists already pay USD 250 per day per person in peak season that includes meals, transport, and accommodation. The fee also reportedly covers a USD 65 charge towards sustainable development and USD 40 for visa.
However, the strategy could not reportedly keep check on arrivals from India, Bangladesh and Maldives, touted to be regional tourists, who are exempt from the fee. Bhutan received 200,000 tourists from countries in the region, 10% more from the earlier year, reports said. As a result, the carbon negative country of 750,000 people was believed to be on the verge of turning into another mass tourism destination, as per reports.
The fee will be used for developing Bhutan’s tourism facilities and infrastructure – it will be considered as revenue that can be used for traffic control and government initiatives associated with welfare of locals, reports said.
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The legislation, passed earlier this week, will reportedly impose a nominal charge on tourists from the three countries.
Bhutan’s administration said visitors from India will not be “inconvenienced” in the “course of the implementation of the new regulation”, as per reports. India reportedly sends the maximum number of visitors to Bhutan – over 69% of all tourists come from India.
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