Tourism must serve Bhutan, not the other way around

August 13, 2024

THIMPHU – The new Director of the Department of Tourism, Damcho Rinzin, talks to Kuensel reporter Dechen Dolkar on a range of issues related to tourism, attracting 300,000 tourists annually, and plans to spread the benefits of tourism across the country

What priorities will you focus on to bring about changes in the tourism industry?

“…in the 1970s, tourism as an industry was only introduced after the coronation of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. It was suggested to us then that Bhutan would benefit economically from bringing in as many tourists as possible into the country. At that time, Bhutan was largely unknown to the outside world. And yet, with Drukgyal Zhipa at the helm, we had the confidence to make our own decisions- to decide that our approach to tourism policy would be that of high value low volume. It seemed counter-intuitive at a time when tourists to Bhutan were so few. There were many skeptics. But because of that policy, Brand Bhutan emerged. And you see the results of that policy for yourselves today. People who make it to Bhutan feel privileged to be our guest. In hindsight, we realize the profound wisdom of that decision, but we could have easily gone the other way, had it not been for that conviction we had to forge our own path, our future, and our destiny.” – His Majesty The King, 2016

I will always be guided by the above quote of His Majesty the King. Tourism must continue to serve Bhutan, not Bhutan serving tourism. It must create opportunities. Tourism must improve the lives of all Bhutanese people. It should strengthen our sovereignty, and it must strengthen the brand Bhutan. The tourism vision was crafted carefully to secure and balance the dual objectives of preserving our