The National Council’s EAC has proposed eight recommendations to the Bhutanese government to revitalize the tourism sector, despite achieving record revenue of Nu 2.33 billion in 2022-23. The committee recommends establishing a permanent stakeholder forum, strengthening coordination, supporting local experiences, and waiving the SDF to encourage longer stays and travel to underserved regions. The committee suggests waiving the SDF to encourage longer stays and travel to underserved regions, highlighting the need for improved domestic connectivity, enhanced land transport infrastructure, and targeted loan restructuring for the hospitality sector.
The committee recommended enhancing tax compliance, discontinuing the airfare subsidy, and strengthening regulatory mechanisms to prevent foreign investments and underreporting, thereby enhancing transparency and transparency. MP Ugyen Tshering highlights low wages in the hospitality sector, calls for government’s focus on labor issues, supporting struggling small hotels, and addressing environmental concerns. Bhutan’s tourism sector generated the highest SDF revenue in the past decade, contributing 10% of Bhutan’s GDP and supporting 52,000 jobs, with a review report ongoing.