Tshering Tobgay government announces SDF waiver in MICE sector in Bhutan

This waiver had already been applicable to government events and meetings but now the SDF waiver has been extended to cover tourism-related events organized by tour operators and hoteliers too. 

NIRMALYA BANERJEE, EOI, KOLKATA, JANUARY 24, 2024 : The Department of Tourism of Bhutan has announced waiver with immediate effect of Sustainable Development Fee in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector, according to a report in Kuensel, the national newspaper of Bhutan. 

This waiver had already been applicable to government events and meetings but now the SDF waiver has been extended to cover tourism-related events organized by tour operators and hoteliers too. 

To qualify for SDF waiver, events must have a minimum of seven participants, excluding organizers, speakers and hosts, says the report. 

Participants may receive a waiver for up to four nights per event, but not their dependents. Participants may extend their stay in Bhutan as tourists by paying the SDF applicable

.It may be mentioned that People’s Democratic Party led by Tshering Tobgay had announced in its election manifesto that the policy of increasing SDF on international tourists and introducing SDF on Indian tourists by the previous Lotay Tshering government would be reviewed if the SDF was voted to power.

The latest initiative of the Tshering Tobgay government would have a beneficial effect on the tourism industry in Bhutan, including local business and venues of events, because of more activity in the MICE sector, the report said. 

In 2019, before the lockdown inducted by the pandemic, a total of 904 MICE travellers, mainly from Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and India visited Bhutan, contributing to the local economy and the community, the report said. 

It may be mentioned that the Himalayan kingdom was reopened to tourists in August2022, when a new tourism policy introducing the new SDF regime was also announced. 

The Department of Tourism, the report says, has emphasized the importance of the MICE market as a revenue earner in the tourism industry on a global scale. 

The waiver of SDF in the MICE sector will attract more group business in Bhutan, it is hoped