Bhutan In Talks Of Developing “Bubble Tourism” With India

To revive the tourism sector of Bhutan, the tourism officials of the country are in talks of developing a “Travel Bubble” with India, to start with. Bhutan’s Tourism Council has also urged the health ministry to reduce the time of quarantine of arriving travellers to 3 days or altogether getting rid of it. This is also an attempt to revive the tourism industry of the country. As of now, a 21-day quarantine is mandatory for all arriving travellers in Bhutan.

Tourism consultant Raj Basu said, “This is a very beneficial initiative for Bhutan and India is surely the best option for setting up a “Travel Bubble” as Indian tourists coming in do not need a VISA to enter Bhutan. This would surely pave the way for the revival of Bhutan’s travel industry.”

Bhutan had closed for foreign tourists since the end of March which has adversely affected the tourism industry of the country. This has resulted in a loss of 90 per cent of the tourism business in Bhutan. With the travel bubble arrangement with India and a reduced quarantine requirement, the country will surely see a quick resumption in its’ tourism industry.

Further, the news has also brought an air of relief to the tour operators in India. Sanjit Saha, the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industries said, “We are persuading this bubble arrangement at various levels. This will be a great initiative to compensate for the lost business for the tourism sector of both countries.”