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. But the fees are likely to go higher, he said. Bhutan reopened its borders in September 2022 with an increased "Sustainable Development Fee" of $200 per person per day in place.
In 2023, the country lowered the fee to entice travelers to stay longer , before halving the fee across the board. The current daily fee — $100 for adults and $50 for children aged six to 12 — is described as a "time-limited incentive" valid until Aug. 31, 2027, according to Bhutan's Department of Immigration.
watch now VIDEO 4:00 04:00 A fee rise ahead? Bhutan's Prime Minister on amount travelers will pay to visit Squawk Box Asia But Tobgay indicated that the fee amount could change before that date. "We're going to have a quota of 300,000 tourists," Tobgay said. "And if the demand to come into Bhutan to visit far outstrips our capacity to welcome them we might even have to increase sustainable fees at that time.
" "That will be a welcome development," he added. A slow return of international travelers Bhutan's tourism industry is recovering slower than other countries in Asia — a situation which Tobgay said he expects will quickly change. "The moment we start marketing our country and what is available .
.. I think there will be a beeline to visit Bhutan," he said.
Bhutan welcomed 315,599 international visitors in 2019, 73% .
