The tourism sector has undergone massive changes (also called "transformation" by the government) over the last couple of months in preparation for Bhutan officially welcoming tourists for the first time since the pandemic. In a major update, potential tourists may directly pay USD 200 as the revised sustainable development fee (SDF) along with a one time visa fee of USD 40 and enter the country without a tour operator being involved. The itinerary may be planned after arrival. Guides continue to be mandatory. Damcho Rinzin, from the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) talks about these changes and more in this podcast. 

This episode is brought to you by the Department of Tourism (https://bhutan.travel/).