Tour Guide, Thimphu, Bhutan
| 2 mins read
Lately, some ex-country tour operators/companies/ individuals in partnerships with local (Bhutanese) partners appear to be engaging in unethical businesses. We hear and see the advertisement on social media and websites selling tour packages in Bhutan at very cheap prices. These prices are unbelievably low and practically not possible to provide services of any acceptable standards. They claim to offer cheap flights, cheap accommodation, cheap food, which could be possible but at a maximum level of compromise in the services offered to the tourists. This is not allowed by our Tourism Policy of “High Value, exclusivity”. Such unethical practice will pose a high and real risk in getting the reputation of our “High value and Exclusivity” tourism marred. This also poses a huge risk on the health and safety of the tourists. Bhutan Tourism believes in giving the best experiences to all Tourists.
Therefore, TCB considers such practices as illegal and condemns. Bhutan Tourism has a minimum tariff to ensure a comfortable experience if not exclusive. TCB condemns such practices and if such practices are caught with evidence, the defaulters will be dealt as per the existing rules. Prospective tourists are informed to be careful and avoid dealings with such unethical practices.
The Kingdom of Bhutan is an exclusive, high-end travel destination, which promotes immersive and experiential travel. The overall tourism development and promotion are guided by the policy principle of ‘High Value, Low Impact’ and at the core of this policy principle is promoting responsible and mindful tourism that considers the benefit of visitors and the host destinations. In order to ensure that visitors get good experience and host communities are not impacted negatively, we encourage our visitors to use professionally trained tour guides, certified accommodation, and comfortable vehicles which are an integral part of one’s travel experience. All these factors play a vital role in creating a wonderful experience for a visitor.