Sustainable Tourism in Bhutan and GNH (Gross National Happiness)
[Music] hello everyone welcome back in this session i will talk about another sustainable tourism case sustainable tourism in bhutan the tourism market in bhutan is considered sustainable in nature guided by the principles of gross national happiness the country has been consistently nurturing the tourism sector as an important source of government revenue through well-laid plans and clearly defined policy objectives there are some unique principles and approaches in the governance of tourism that countries around the world can learn from the topics for today contain these five areas geography and background of bhutan the concept of gnp grows national happiness tourism in bhutan the impacts of tourism and sustainable tourism strategies bhutan officially known as the kingdom of bhutan is a landlocked country in the eastern himalayas in south asia it is bordered by the tibet autonomous region of china to the north and india to the south bhutan is the region's second least populous nation after the maldives timpu is its capital and the largest city while funds holding is its financial center slightly larger than switzerland in terms of area but with a population of around 700 000 compared to almost eight meters people in switzerland the house of wang chuk is the royal house of bhutan since it was reunified in 1907. the wang chuk dynasty ruled government power in bhutan and established relations with the british empire and india under its first two monarchs the third fourth and fifth current monarchs have put the kingdom on its path toward democratization decentralization and development the current king as jigme kasan namgyel wang chuk queen is jetson pima bhutan displays a rich heritage and vibrant culture the people are of origin with distinct and unique traditional and cultural customs the clothes religion culture traditions festivals and its pristine environment mingle to provide a unique cultural setting in the himalayas and the last bastion of the mahayana form of buddhist civilization the emblem of bhutan maintains several elements of the flag of bhutan and contains much buddhist symbolism bhutan has three ethnic groups the shanglas nagalops and the lot champus society is free of class or a caste system it has four main religions buddhism hinduism animism and christianity in gultrum is the locally and officially accepted currency of bhutan it is used for all economic trades at a professional level in a local level as well bhutan's political environment has been stable and economic conditions had been improving until the advent of the pandemic over the last decade the government has been able to reduce the number of extremely poor by two-thirds bhutan has become a lower middle-income country annual real gdp growth has averaged 7.5 percent since the 1980s fueled by a rapid expansion of the public sector-led hydra power production and export bhutan's economy is closely aligned with india's through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on india's financial assistance the economy of bhutan is based on agriculture and forestry straddling the two major indo-malayan and pale arctic biogeographic realms bhutan is part of the eastern himalayan biodiversity hotspot the diverse ecosystems and ecofluoristic zones have made bhutan home to a wide array of flora and fauna forests are the dominant ecosystem in bhutan with 70.46 of the country under forest cover and an additional 10.43 under shrubs bhutan is the first carbon negative country in the world carbon dioxide is the leading greenhouse gas emission produced by humans thus contributing most dramatically to worldwide climate change carbon neutral negative means that more carbon dioxide is absorbed than is produced bhutan achieved this through many policies including a ban was placed on log exports the constitution was amended to include that forested areas would not drop below 60 percent free hydroelectric power generated by bhutan's many rivers is used instead of less environmentally friendly fossil fuels the bhutanese government has acted to increase the country's hydroelectric capacity thereby reducing the need to burn fossil fuels some of bhutan's hydroelectricity is exported to neighboring india free electricity is provided to rural farmers investing clean and energy-efficient technologies such as subsidizing the rates for led lights and electrical public transportation it has also promoted the sale of electric cars by lowering rates on the purchase of such vehicles the bhutanese people have responded favorably to this policy in part by planting new trees themselves at a rapid pace in fact the reason that bhutan has managed to become carbon negative is that although the country emits 1.1 million tons of co2 each year the forests can take in much more co2 than all of bhutan produces instead of using conventional economic indicators like gdp to measure its success bhutan has a unique measure of its own that they call gross national happiness gnh this concept was the brainchild of bhutanese king jigme senia wang chuk in 1972 the king declared that gross national happiness is more important than gross domestic product by this principle bhutan's government strives to improve the well-being of its citizens not just from an economic perspective but also from an environmental and socio-cultural viewpoint the concept implies that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards notions of progress and give equal importance to non-economic aspects of well-being since then the idea of gross national happiness gnh has influenced bhutan's economic and social policy and also captured the imagination of others far beyond its borders the gnh does include conventional measures of development such as living standards health and education but it also includes less conventional measures such as psychological well-being time use cultural diversity and resilience good governance community vitality and ecological diversity and resilience these are the pillars of gnh a comparison between the growth of per capita gdp in bhutan and the gross national happiness index for these three years looks like this bhutan is regarded as one of the most exclusive travel destinations in the world today tourism is a vibrant business with a high potential for growth and further development it is famous for its exotic landscape buddhist cultural spots spectacular mountains and fresh nature every type of travellers from nature lovers to pilgrims loves this place and considers this as an important getaway spot the top 5 tourist attractions in bhutan which you ought to visit during your stay in bhutan [Music] [Music] the tourism industry in bhutan is relatively young having been initiated only in 1974 at the time of the coronation of the fourth king the industry was privatized towards the end of 1991.
the government took up the facilitating and regulatory role with the establishment of the tourism authority of bhutan tab in 2008 realizing the importance of a multi-sectoral approach towards tourism development the department of tourism was granted autonomy under the chairmanship of the prime minister and renamed as the tourism council of bhutan responsible for the development promotion service quality assurance and regulation of tourism in the country bhutan recorded continued growth in the last seven years with record arrivals although the growth rate declined in 2017 and 2018. a total of 315 599 inbound visitors were recorded in 2019 representing a growth of 15.14 over 2018. visitor arrivals crossed the 200 000 mark in 2016.
bhutan recorded a total of 29 812 visitors in 2020 which is a minus 90.55 drop compared to the previous high of 315 599 in 2019 mainly on account of the coronavirus pandemic the tourism income was an important source of revenue for bhutan because it contributed about 50 of the national tax revenue and the inbound tourism expenditure is about 4 of national gdp and employs about 50 000 employees in the tourism sector tourism also created self-employment and provided additional income for rural communities through the selling of local producers and handicrafts to tourists an increase of tourists in rural areas benefited rural communities through working as local guides hiring port-au-pone services and providing cultural performances to tourists the coronavirus pandemic has created and continues to create unprecedented impacts on the economy and livelihoods in the country and around the world the top 10 source markets for bhutan 2020 at the usa china uk germany australia vietnam japan thailand singapore and malaysia about 87 of all visitor arrivals to bhutan have undertaken some form of cultural sightseeing activity during their stay in bhutan highlighting the importance and significance of the bhutanese culture and tradition for tourism there was a fairly good number of visitors who undertook other activities such as tricking hikes and special interest tours such as birding textile tours wellness and meditation and adventure sports such as rafting and cycling with regard to the modes of transport used while in bhutan the majority 70.57 of the visitors reported that they have used vehicles arranged by travel agents indicating that an increasing number of visitors are using travel agent services this was followed by transport arranged by their friends and relatives 17.28 and there was little over 10 who have rented vehicles tourists can attend a large variety of activities in bhutan including cultural and adventure events spiritual and wellness activities sport and business activities travelers to bhutan must be with an approved tour operator who will arrange all travel while in the country and arrive via drug care which offers a limited number of flights from a handful of cities in asia tourists need a passport and visa to enter and exit bhutan all visas are approved from timpu and are only issued to tourists booked with a locally licensed tour operator either directly or through a foreign travel agent applications for tourist visas are submitted by the tour operator the cost of the bhutan visa itself is 40 united states dollars per person this is a non-refundable fee however in addition to the visa fee you also have to pay for the tour the bhutan tourism council has a fixed minimum daily package rate mdpr for all tours to bhutan 250 united states dollars a day per person during peak season 200 united states dollars a day per person at other times of the year the daily tariff involves the most necessary expenses during a trip including a three-star hotel all meals a licensed bhutanese tour guide internal transportation and equipment for treks in addition 65 united states dollars from this daily tariff is considered sustainable tourism royalty which is used towards the country's free health care and education poverty alleviation as well as the building of tourism infrastructure bhutan has one international airport paro and two airlines government-owned drucker and private airline bhutan airlines a division of the tashi group the drug care and bhutan airlines schedules change by season but there are usually daily flights from kathmandu new delhi and bangkok and less frequent flights to bagdogra and kolkata calcutta in india dhaka in bangladesh and singapore hotels are licensed by the government run by bhutanese or at least on representative a wide variety of accommodation is available ranging from luxurious five-star hotels to cozy little hotels and homestays in traditional bhutanese homes and settings the tourism industry in bhutan is founded on the principle of sustainability meaning that tourism must be environmentally and ecologically friendly socially and culturally acceptable and economically viable in recent times bhutan tourism is being hit by rough waves these emerging rough waves if not maneuvered well and in time could be a potential threat to the exclusive journey of bhutan tourism today because of the influx of regional tourists from countries within the south asian association for regional cooperation sark bhutan's historic vision of limiting tourist entry to a sustainable level no longer holds true the country is increasingly popular for tourists who do not need entry visas and are not limited by our access or government-imposed tariffs in 2018 more than 200 000 predominantly indian tourists entered the country that number will only increase unless the government imposes similarly strict restrictions as enforced by the government tariffs on international tourists in the 1980s bhutan only needs to look at nepal for a clear example of the challenging impact of high-volume tourism on cultural tapestry environment architecture economy and political infrastructure even though tourism is under straight control there are still some negative impacts that emerged for example along the tourists tricking routes there was forest destruction through the cutting of slow-growing trees for firewood soil erosion through the use of horses and yaks for trekking tourists and garbage trail of non-biodegradable waste tourism is the largest contributor to foreign currency in bhutan tourism created self-employment and provided additional income for rural communities through the selling of local producers and handicrafts to tourists rural communities involved in tourism through working as local guides hiring porter pony services and providing cultural performances to tourists however the negative aspect is there is a relatively small number of tourists arrivals in comparison to other same countries such as the maldives generated significant economic contribution given the high cost of the daily tariff it has regularly fueled double-digit percentage growth in government foreign tour companies used bhutanese tour licenses to run their business in bhutan leading to economic leakage and tax avoidance the hotel industry is also facing the same problem leading to revenue leakage socioculturally bhutan has achieved significant success in protecting and preserving traditional cultural practices and uncovering latent ones pride in cultural identity improved community facilities footbridges roads improved standards of living increased education and training literacy rate 64.9 percent
on the other hand there are also many of the problems that have emerged in tourist destinations with mass tourism begging theft sex tourism which are not evident in bhutan some negative evidence exists of religious and cultural practices being monetized or changed to attract tourist dollars as an emerging sense of materialism develops crime and antisocial behavior demonstration effect displacement friction between locals involved with tourism and those not rapid urbanization increasing materialism wrong business practices of undercutting fronting and bad debts are on the rise poor services an unbalanced spread of tourism benefits an oversupply of hotels low yield mass tourism overcrowding at tourist sites and uncontrolled littering are some disturbing trends that are emerging with nearly 275 000 visitors in 2018 of which 202 290 are from the region bhutan is feeling the tensions of heavy tourist traffic and unpleasant experiences as tourists and pilgrims jostle for space in small spiritual sites there are stories of tourists climbing on the monk's seats at monasteries to take selfies some walk around chortens stupas in the wrong direction all this frustrates bhutanese pilgrims and buddhist practitioners regional tourists like to talk loudly and blast their music and the takshung trail has become like a fish market from the base camp right up to the top doorstep said a tour operator kencho with the population in the capital tempu being about 120 000 it is easy to see how the numbers of tourist arrivals can easily tip the balance of the local population and burden daily facilities and services and the environment the onslaught of mass tourism coupled with rapid urbanization is also challenging the country's carbon footprint trekking represents the biggest threat to bhutan's environment most trekking activities take place at altitudes ranging from 1500 meters to 7500 meters above sea level forms of environmental degradation are inevitable as the intensity of tricking increases 13 tricking routes are currently in use most of which are situated in the northwestern region there were forest destruction through the cutting of slow-growing trees for firewood soil erosion through the use of horses and yaks for tracking tourists garbage trail of non-biodegradable waste lead to deforestation trail erosion contamination of water and solid waste problems the tourism industry in bhutan is founded on the principle of sustainability meaning that tourism must be environmentally and ecologically friendly socially and culturally acceptable in together with increasing consumption and materialism bhutan is aware that it could very well lose its carbon negative claim by 2030. policymakers and people who are calling for action on the ground are pressured to figure out better regulations to improve services and facilities and to protect the sanctity of sacred and scenic sites over the years brand bhutan continued to collect laurels and distinctions such as being the only carbon negative country in the world specifically in tourism bhutan was recognized as the best country to visit in 2020 by lonely planet best travel destination for happy tourism in 2020 by pacific area travel writers association patwa number one wellness destination on the rise in 2020 by virtuoso and best green country by travel and leisure india and south asia travel magazine in 2020 despite recent developments regarding excessive regional tourism bhutan's tourism brand is still on the right side of this delicate balance between high value and low impact quick corrective action targeted at the root sources of excessive regional tourism would go some way towards restoring the full measure of the magic of brand bhutan the policy of high value low volume has been steering this exclusive journey of bhutan tourism for nearly five decades today with a new goal to further enrich the direction the journey and the destination the tourism council of bhutan tcb embraced taking tourism to the top as an organizational motto taking tourism to the top has two dimensions firstly it is about making bhutan the world's top most tourist destination and secondly it is about making tourism the country's key economic sector other than the aforementioned tourist tariff structure including mdpr and sdf bhutan has some other tools to manage tourism sustainably there are many travel businesses operating in bhutan the tourism council of bhutan monitors each registered tour operator hotel and travel agent to ensure that they meet our stringent requirements and provide guests with high quality service using rating and certification schemes every tour guide or tour operator needs to have tour guide or tour operator license bhutanese farmers are mostly small holder farmers practicing a mixed farming system involving cattle rearing and cultivation of crops these farmers survive their daily meals completely on farming there are few villages settled on the higher altitudes these villages are usually 2-3 hours of walking distance from the motor roads promote and adopt low-carbon and sustainable consumption and production measures in tourism business operations today tourism is concentrated mainly in the western central region covering mainly paro punica this will help in spreading tourism to other parts of the country bhutan's high value low volume an overarching long-standing tourism policy once again proves its value it allows for the continuation of tourism to bhutan post kovite 19 without too many adjustments internally because mass tourism never was bhutan's a more approach thank you for listening don't forget to click the like button until next time [Music] [Music] you [Music]
2022-02-01 20:28
