Bhutan breaks visitor record

Female tourists in majority for safe sustainable destination

Bhutan recorded the highest international leisure arrivals last year with 62,272 visitors, plus 9145 business arrivals according to Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2017.

Female visitors made up a majority with 59.1 percent and most visitors were between 41 and 60 years.

More than half of the international tourists (54.7 percent) were from the Asia and Pacific region followed by Europe and North America at 24.8 and 18 percent. Middle-East and Africa comprise less than one percent, according to the report.

income from international leisure tourists increased from $74 million in 2016 to $80million last year.

Of this income, $22 million was direct revenue for the government through Sustainable Development Fee (SDF).

Said the tourist board "Bhutan also continues to gain impetus in the international community as a sustainable tourism destination as evidenced from the Earth Award won by Bhutan during the Sustainable Tourism Top 100 Awards Ceremony at International Tourismus-Borse (ITB) Berlin 2018," it reported.

In terms of visitor arrivals, India remains the main source market with 172,751 arrivals. Bangladesh and USA follows next with 10,536 and 9,220 visitors.

The number of Chinese visitors fell by 30.3 percent from the previous year, dropping to the fourth from the second top ten source markets for Bhutan in 2016.

USA, UK, Germany, China, Japan, Singapore, Australia and Thailand remained in the top 10 major source international markets over the past decade, according to the tourism monitor.

There was a significant increase in arrivals from South Korea from 1,035 in 2016 to 6,048 last year, registering a growth rate of 484 percent and catapulting it into the top five from the 17thplace in 2016.

The Bhutan-Korea friendship offer resulted in increased arrivals from South Korea propelling it into the top 10 source markets for Bhutan in 2017, the report states.

Festivals remain one of the most visited attractions in the country says the report. The community festivals are developed and promoted to encourage community participation in tourism activities, tourism attractions diversification to promote lean tourism season and regional spread of visitation.

Festivals include the Rhododendron festival, Haa Summer festival, Black-necked crane festival, Nomads festival and Ura Matsutake festival.

Despite the growth we still face the problem of seasonality and unbalanced regional spread – the report states. As a destination with emphasis on sustainability at the core of its development agenda, it is important that appropriate interventions are put in place to further sustainable growth with emphasis on regional spread and in making Bhutan a year-round tourism destination.

Bhutan is one of the Global Top100 Sustainable Destinations

Valere Tjolle

Valere is publisher and editor of Sustainable Tourism 0.2 to be published in September