Bhutan to halve daily tourist tax

The Sustainable Development Fee will be reduced from US$200 to US$100

Bhutan has announced that it will halve the daily US$200 Sustainable Development Fee that it charges charges visitors. 

The move is part of efforts to boost the Himalayan kingdom’s tourism sector, still struggling to recover from Covid-19 restrictions.

Bhutan had raised its Sustainable Development Fee to US$200 per visitor per night from US$65, when it ended two years of Covid restrictions in September 2022, stating that the money would be used to offset the carbon emissions generated by visitors.

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The new rate of US$100 per night will come into effect from September 2023.

The nation has historically been wary of the impact of mass tourism but now hopes to raise the contribution of tourism to its US$3 billion economy from 5% to 20%.

For more information, visit www.visitbhutan.com