Hi …….. ,
Thank you for your mail.
I am happy to learn that you are interested in visiting Bhutan.
On the outset I would like to state that it is indeed timely that you are considering visiting Bhutan at this time. As your friend who recommended me to you would have told you, Bhutan is still relatively unblemished - we still have an unhurried and laid-back way of life; we still pride that we are a country where culture and tradition matter and that contentment is not measured by the level of material success - all of which point to the fact that we are a country that is at the cusp of madding modernity.
Sadly, all that will change in the next few years - and modernity will surely render us as unique as everyone else. That is why I say that it is timely that you have decided to visit Bhutan NOW.
Bhutan's woven textiles: Weaving artistry at its superlative
Before we go any further, I would like you to consider that visiting Bhutan will set you off by a minimum of US$400.00 per night halt, per person - on a twin room sharing basis. However, this amount will cover almost everything: government royalty in the form of SDF, hotel accommodation in 3-star hotels, guide, conveyance to any part of the country, meals, soft drinks, bottled processed water, laundry etc. Visits to cultural sites are NOT included, and any special interest activities will attract additional charges, over and above the minimum US$400.00.
Does this amount seem like a reasonable sum for an experience that we believe few other countries in the world are likely to match? If yes, next questions to consider are:
What will be the duration of your visit?
Which month do you plan to make the journey?
What are your core interests? - it is inconceivable that you can hope to cover everything in a single visit. Thus you will have to decide what are at the top of your wish list: bird watching, nature, hiking/trekking, festivals, game fishing, whitewater rafting etc. Your interest will determine the month of your visit but as a pointer the most productive months are March/April and October/November.
It is said that Bhutan as a tourist destination is a once-in-a-lifetime affair - not because the cost is prohibitive but because of the remoteness of the location and the mystique surrounding the country - some have likened us to the mythical last Shangri-La. Ofcourse we are not mythical - we are here and now. And, what is our appeal? Please ask your friend who just returned to the USA - after her fourth repeat visit to the country.
Once I have your answers to my above four questions, we can take the discussion further.
Bye and take care.
The price is one thing but did you try applying for a visa? The visa application system still has a lot to be desired.
ReplyDelete"Has a lot to be desired" is an understatement of the century. I had already told the Economic & Finance Committee of the National Assembly during the BSTS meeting during late June that I can give in writing that neither the Government is ready, nor the TCB or the Immigration Department - to implement the transformation of the tourism sector as envisaged by them. They are clueless about the million operational complexities of the business of tourism as we practice in Bhutan.
DeleteWell, I suppose that is what they mean by "that is how the cookie crumbled".