Since its launch last month, more than 1,500 Bhutanese tourism-related service providers have registered on the Tourism Services Portal provided by the Department of Tourism. The service providers include tour operators, guides, hotels and homestays among others. The portal serves as a one-stop platform to access and book services from certified and verified tour operators, guides, hotels, handicraft shops and homestays.
The Bhutan Tourism Services Portal provides a centralised platform where tourists can connect with certified service providers.
The platform allows tourists to compare services, read reviews, and go through portfolios of guides and homestays among others to connect with their preferred service provider.
The platform also offers filtering options to search services based on specific needs, such as dietary requirements, room facilities, itinerary preferences or languages spoken by the guides and contact information along with their location.
Without such a platform in the past, the ability of guests to make informed decisions was limited.
Among the 1,559 tourism-related service providers registered on the portal are over 430 tour operators, more than 970 certified guides, 116 hotels, 26 homestays, six restaurants and two handicraft shops among others. More businesses and individuals are expected to register on the site.
The registered business and services are vetted and verified by the Standards and Compliance Division of the Department of Tourism, which ensures that the information is not falsely advertised.
According to the Department of Tourism, the portal service is available free of charge for everyone. Besides benefitting tourists in making informed decisions while planning their trip or even during their stay in the country, it is also expected to improve the presence of registered businesses and individuals.
“This portal should be a one-stop window for tourists to plan their vacations. So, whether it’s a horse contractor, whether it’s a car rental, slowly I think it has to be there. It has to give a complete solution for tourists to plan their trip in Bhutan, end to end. So obviously, of course, we have to look at other services that are providing services to tourists will have to be there in the portal,” said Damcho Rinzin, director of the Department of Tourism.
He added that the portal has received international media coverage, and has also received positive feedback from industry partners, tour operators, and other stakeholders as well.
There are plans to enhance the platform further by adding new features such as car rental options and expanding the range of registered service providers.
The Department of Tourism shares that this effort is to improve digital services, and align with the country’s “high-value, low-volume” tourism policy to ensure a sustainable and enriching visitor experience.
Sonam Dendup
Edited by Kipchu
