Power, regionalism and tourism policy in Bhutan

Abstract

This paper uses power relationship frameworks and regionalism concepts to understand two political aspects of Bhutan’s low-volume, high-yield tourism policy. The number of tourists to Bhutan has been controlled not by an annual visa quota, but by a daily minimum tariff, a required guided tour, certain spatial restrictions, and the general perception of inconvenience associated with the process of getting a visa. The controlled tourism policy, however, is limited only to western tourists, who represent only a quarter of arrivals. Although Bhutan has been able to minimize the environmental and cultural impacts of western tourists through its low-volume, high-yield tourism policy, this is more related to power and regional politics than simply a quest for sustainable tourism.