First Workshop in Bhutan on decentralised tourism planning

 Bhutan’s 10th Five Year Plan (FYP) identifies the tourism sector as being a potentially important driver for generating revenues and creating employment opportunities for both urban and rural communities.  To support this potential, steps are now being taken to promote decentralised tourism planning at the Dzongkhag (District) level.

Since 2005, SNV has provided support for the development of a policy framework to encourage sustainable tourism planning and management at the local level. The development of a legislation framework is currently still on going with the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) preparing the submission of a Tourism Bill by the end of 2009. The Bill has the provision for Dzongkhags to start planning and managing for tourism, and TCB has identified the need to start familiarizing Dzongkhags with this opportunity before the Bill receives approval by the parliament.

In response to a request for technical assistance, SNV has been working with TCB to provide key inputs to enable the formulation of a pilot Tourism Development Plan (TDP) for Haa Dzongkhag.  The objective of the TDP is to act as a framework for managing and monitoring tourism development at Dzongkhag level in order to create a sustainable and competitive tourism destination. 

A key milestone in this process was reached when TCB, in collaboration with SNV, organised the first ever workshop on decentralised tourism planning in Bhutan on the 13th April 2009.

The workshop was convened in Haa Dzongkhag with the participation of 31 people including the Dasho Dzongdag, officials from the Haa Dzongkhag, TCB officials, and representatives from tour operators, business communities, the villages and community.  The workshop was an exciting opportunity for participants to exchange views and information on tourism, opportunities for tourism development, and to propagate principles and guidelines on how to achieve sustainable tourism development through the integration and elaboration of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

While the workshop identified a broad spectrum of views and ideas, it also helped encourage the development of a consensus amongst participants and sense of ownership for the concept of a TDP for Haa Dzonghkag. Moreover, it enabled the authorities and the private sector to better understand the crucial roles each stakeholder must play if sustainable tourism development is to be achieved.