Bhutan opens borders to international tourists

The Kingdom of Bhutan, a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas, finally opened its borders to international tourists, including those from India, after being closed for two and a half years due to Covid-19 pandemic. Major General Vetsop Namgyel, Bhutan’s Ambassador to India, said that fully-vaccinated travellers are now welcome and tourists would no longer be required to be quarantined upon arrival.

Namgyel added that the strict measures implemented by the Bhutanese government helped the country save lives during the pandemic. 

Bhutanese Ambassador stated that they took two and a half years to open their international borders and adopted very stringent measures, as their priority during the pandemic was to prevent the loss of lives. These measures proved effective as Bhutan hardly had any fatalities from Covid-19.

Bhutanese Ambassador added that there will be no more quarantine for people coming to Bhutan. There will be no test on arrival. Only vaccine certificate needs to be shown.

Nevertheless, there will be a daily fee for tourists to enter Bhutan. Namgyel said the Bhutanese government’s tourism council has fixed a fee of Rs 1,200 per day for Indians. For other international tourists, the fee is USD 200 per day.

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Author: Deb Davad