Tourism As Usual During The Coronation Celebrations

Posted on 5 September, 2008 in TCB | Tags: 2008 Celebrations

The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) allayed fears expressed by tour operators that the normal flow of tourists into the country will be affected during the coronation celebrations. The TCB said that the celebration is seen as a means to promote tourism and not otherwise.

October and November is peak tourist season and most of the bookings start well in advance. The hotels in the capital confirm room reservations 60 days prior to the arrival of the guests.

Clearing doubts that tour operators and hoteliers had, an official from TCB said that the government had not asked tour operators to minimize tourists or look for alternative accommodations during the coronation.

Reports say that the preliminary guest list for the occasion has been prepared. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will start reserving hotels once the final list is available and according to the status of the guests. Although the reservations have started coming in from tour operators, none of the hotels in the capital have confirmed reservations at the time of writing.

The reservation manager of Jomolhari said that tourists are important for the hard currency but the coronation was more important. What would happen if the government comes at the last moment and asks for reservations? The general manager of Hotel Druk said that it would be an embarrassing moment. He said a lot of reservation enquiries have started pouring in but they haven’t confirmed any till now. He said during October and November, the hotel receives a lot of tourists and the hotel also caters to consultants who stay for longer durations. If such things arise, the government should coordinate with travel agents and make alternate arrangements. Sakten Tours and Treks agreed, stating it will certainly affect their business if tourists are not given rooms in the hotels during that period. It will be a big blow to the industry. Sangay Wangchuk from Etho Metho Tours and Travels said that after the coronation date had been announced, they had informed their agents abroad and visits will now be confirmed based on the availability of flight tickets and hotel rooms. The agents will be informed if there are changes in the itinerary. He said that there will be a long term ill-effect on the tourism industry if they have to cancel or amend the itineraries. He, however, said that considering the national importance of the coronation, tourists were secondary.

The president of Hoteliers Association of Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuk, said if such situations arise, it would be in the consensus of all the member hotels along with ABTO and tour operators to see what would be the most feasible solution. Of the 21,094 tourists who visited Bhutan through travel agents last year, 4,512 came in October and 2,733 in November.

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Read the original story by Bhutan Observer

Posted on 5 September, 2008 in TCB | Tags: 2008 Celebrations