THIMPHU -- The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan on Friday halved its daily tourist tax, among the highest in the world, as it looks to attract more visitors and hasten the industry's slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dollar-paying visitors will now be charged $100 a night as a sustainable development fee (SDF), instead of $200. Children aged 6 to 12 will be eligible for an additional 50% off the lowered levy. The change comes nearly a year after Bhutan raised eyebrows by roughly tripling the daily charge as it emerged from a pandemic closure of about two and a half years, determined to reinforce its "high quality, low volume" tourism strategy.
