Tourist fee revamp won’t affect Indian travellers: Bhutan

Foreign tourists visiting Bhutan currently have to pay $250 per day, which includes a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) of $65, though this levy was not applicable to tourists from Bangladesh, India and the Maldives so far.

Bhutanese authorities have assured their Indian counterparts that a proposed revamp of tourist fees will not inconvenience Indian travellers, people familiar with developments said on Tuesday.

Bhutanese authorities have assured their Indian counterparts that a proposed revamp of tourist fees will not inconvenience Indian travellers (Getty Images)

Foreign tourists visiting Bhutan currently have to pay $250 per day, which includes a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) of $65, though this levy was not applicable to tourists from Bangladesh, India and the Maldives so far.

Bhutan’s new draft tourism policy reportedly proposes a SDF and a permit processing fee for Indian travellers. “Bhutanese authorities have assured that Indian tourists would not be inconvenienced in the course of the implementation of the regulation,” the person said.