BHUTAN Bhutan cuts ‘sustainable development tax’ to boost tourism

The kingdom’s goal is to return to pre-pandemic tourism levels while continuing to preserve natural resources. However, their efforts may be in vain due to global warming: according to a new report, the Himalayan glaciers are melting at an alarming rate.

Thimphu ( / Agencies) – Bhutan reduced accommodation taxes for international tourists, in an attempt to return to the level of visitors before the Covid-19 pandemic, while continuing to meet its commitments to protect the environment.

In September 2022, after two years of closure due to the health crisis, the small kingdom nestled in the Himalayan mountains had raised the fee – called the sustainable development fee – from US$65 to US$200. From this month until the end of 2024, visitors who pay the rate for four days will be able to stay another four days, while those who pay the rate for 12 days will be able to stay in the country for one month. The measure only applies to international travelers paying in dollars, not to those from India paying in rupees.

Dorji Dhradhul, Director General of the Tourism Board, explained that Bhutan aims to increase the revenue from the tourism sector from the current 5% to 20% of its GDP. Since January, more than 47,000 people have visited the kingdom, which is expected to reach 86,000 by the end of the year. In 2019, there were about 315,600 tourists.

Local authorities say the contributions are intended to attract wealthy travelers to free up more funds to offset the carbon footprint of tourists and keep the environment pristine. Unlike neighboring Nepal, Bhutan has banned mountaineering to preserve the sanctity of its peaks, foregoing revenue from Himalayan trekkers and climbers.

However, due to global warming, Bhutan’s efforts may prove to be in vain. A report released today by the Kathmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) shows that glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountain ranges (which run through several South Asian countries, including Bhutan and Nepal) are melting at a rate 65% faster than in the decade from 2010 to 2020. This means that high-altitude ice sheets could lose 75% of their volume by the end of the century, generating flooding and shortages of water. water, which would affect 240 million people living in mountainous regions and another 1.65 billion living in valleys.

The 12 river basins that originate in the Himalayas, including the Ganges, the Indus and the Mekong, will probably reach their maximum flow by mid-century, experts explained: “Although it may seem that we will have more water because the glaciers melt at higher velocity, it will all too often appear as flooding rather than a steady flow,” said Philippus Wester, lead author of the report. After the peak, the water reserves will decrease. “We will lose glaciers within a hundred years,” added the environmental scientist. “This was to be expected, but what is unexpected and very worrying is the speed with which it happens.”

The snowmelt is already affecting mountain communities: “There were a large number of yak deaths because in summer they move to higher altitude pastures” due to irregular rainfall, said report co-author Amina Maharjan, a specialist in in migration and livelihoods. However, local residents do not have the support they would need, he added: “Most adaptation is the reaction of communities and families to climate events, and this is inadequate to deal with the challenges posed by climate change.” climate change”.