Son of an ambassador, Wangchen Dorji belongs to this new western-educated generation of Bhutanese entrepreneurs who looks at balancing tourism development as the little Kingdom opens more and more its doors to foreign travellers. Bhutan has seen the total number of its international arrivals doubling from 21,000 in 2007 to over 40,000 last year according to Bhutan National Statistical Yearbook. There is another 40,000 regional travellers coming through land borders.
TravelDailynews: How would you describe Bhutan as a tourism destination?
Wangchen Dorji: It is all about niche. We just want to have a high quality tourism and low volume. Just the contrary of many other countries, despite Bhutan’s larger exposure to the rest of the world. Our recent fame is largely due to our young King who got a lot of exposure during his wedding. We have registered since this event an increased interest from travellers. In Thailand for example, our King has turned very popular for locals. But despite our kingdom’s increasing popularity,we continue to stick to our niche market credential.
TDN: How does it translate in Bhutanese products and services?
WD- We continue to charge a 250 US dollar daily rate during the high season to travellers and a US$ 200 during the low season per day.
But it must be seern more like a daily package which includes all services, from guides to accommodation or meals. At the end, this fee is then relatively reasonable. This is also the price that people are willing to pay to enjoy a genuine authenticity of our people. It also helps us to provide an a-la-carte service for our guests. We try for example in our company to be totally dedicated to the wishes of our clients. For example, we are very glad to provide meeting with NGOs to meet native communities or children orphanages.
What would be the best assets of Bhutan?
WD: Definitely a pristine nature and the contact to local communities.
TDN: Is Bhutan today easier accessible?
WD: The government is contributing to the development of our national carrier Druk Air. We have now new flights to Mumbai and Hong Kong as well as to Singapore. We also have more flights to Bangkok, which I find a perfect combination for a different holiday experience: two kingdoms offering two total different experiences: on one side the serenity of Bhutan, its mountains and monasteries; on the other side, Thailand and is bustling life in Bangkok as well as its beaches…
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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