Arya News - Bhutan has laid strong policy foundations to support eco-tourism. However, challenges such as, ensuring sustainability and local ownership, addressing limited accessibility and seasonal tourist arrivals, low footfall in remote sites, still persist.
THIMPHU – Eco-tourism in Bhutan is emerging as a powerful tool to protect natural and cultural heritage while delivering tangible benefits to local communities. By offering visitors an educational and meaningful experience rooted in Bhutanese traditions and ecosystems, the sector is steadily becoming a model for sustainable development.
Tshering Pem from the Nature Conservation Division under the Department of Forest and Park Services, speaking during a session on “Building Sustainability in Women-led Rural Tourism”, underscored the importance of community-based tourism. She said eco-tourism initiatives—such as homestays, campsites, eco-lodges, handicrafts, and locally-driven festivals—not only promote conservation but also provide economic opportunities, particularly for rural women.
“These ventures are pathways to economic empowerment, enabling women to take leadership roles in tourism through group activities that highlight cultural and ecological richness,” she said.
However, she also acknowledged the sector’s persistent challenges: ensuring sustainability and local ownership, addressing limited accessibility and seasonal tourist arrivals, low footfall in remote sites, and a general lack of capacity among community operators.
Despite these hurdles, Bhutan has laid strong policy foundations to support eco-tourism. These include legal frameworks for protected area management, sustainable forest use policies, land leasing provisions in reserve forests, and the overarching “high-value, low-volume” tourism strategy.
“What we now need is to move beyond policy and build effective public-private-people partnerships,” Tshering Pem emphasised. “This approach can strengthen livelihoods and scale up community-driven tourism across the country.”
Her remarks came during the regional conference, Women’s Economic Empowerment in Rural South Asia: Sustainable Pathways, held in Thimphu from May 8 to 10. The event brought together over 100 participants—including policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and grassroots women leaders—from across South Asia to explore ways of enhancing women’s roles in rural tourism and trade.
Panel discussions focused on the critical role of policy in addressing the barriers rural women face in accessing resources, markets, and decision-making platforms. Speakers stressed that for tourism to be truly inclusive and sustainable, it must empower women entrepreneurs and leaders through targeted policy support and community engagement.
Sessions also examined how responsible tourism could be strengthened by setting industry standards, scaling grassroots initiatives, and fostering cross-border partnerships. Presenters highlighted successful models that leverage trade associations, mentorship programmes, and ethical sourcing practices in regional and global supply chains.
Environmental sustainability and disaster preparedness also featured prominently in the dialogue, with participants calling for robust programmes that can secure and expand the eco-tourism sector, especially those led by women.
Looking forward, Tshering Pem called for an integrated policy approach that connects tourism, gender equity, and rural development.
“This must be matched with direct investments in women-led enterprises,” she said. “Collaborative efforts between government agencies, civil society, and private players are essential to expand capacity building, offer tourism concessions in protected areas and reserve forests, and pioneer new models in nature and wildlife tourism.”
The conference was jointly organised by the South Asia Women’s Network, the Trans-Himalayan Environment and Livelihood Program Nepal, the International Development Institute, and the Tarayana Foundation.
As Bhutan deepens its commitment to eco-tourism, the emphasis on women’s leadership and community stewardship could set a strong example for sustainable development—not only within its borders but across the region.