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Tourism
officials expect an increase of about 700 arrivals for the Paro Tshechu
month.
Druk
Air, the national airline, has added three additional flights from April
8 to 10, 2006 to handle the tourist numbers and hotels in tourist
'hotspots' around the country are booked to the brim.
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Paro
Dzong |
According
to one tour agent, all the 14 tourist standard hotels with 561 beds in
Paro have been booked and reservations have been made in the three luxury
resorts, Aman, Uma and Zhiwaling.
Private
houses in the valley have also been hired to accommodate the tourists.
Although
tour operators are looking forward to welcome their guests they are concerned
about the accommodation crunch in Paro valley.
"We
sometimes have to break large groups into smaller groups and prepare separate
travel plans to accommodate them," said an operator. Tour operators are
also hoping for better weather.
"Agents
abroad consider this time of the year favourable, weather wise," said Sangay
Wangchuk of Etho Metho Tours and Travels, which is bringing in about 300
tourists this month.
"Of
late we have been experiencing rain which probably means that it would
be snowing high in the mountains," said another operator.
He
said that tourists trekking in the high mountains could be forced to turn
back if it continued to rain. "This means that there would be more pressure
on finding accommodation," he said.
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Paro
Dzong
Incoming
flight could also get delayed and lead to cancellations.
Although
the tourism department has been encouraging tour operators to break away
from the present norm of having tourists during the months of March, April
and May, it is still considered as the ideal time to visit Bhutan apart
from the Autumn season months.
"Given
a choice we would like to bring tourists during the so called 'lean months'
to cut down on the hassles but it is the way that Bhutan has been promoted
so far," said an operator. |
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The
Punakha tshechu, which was first introduced two years ago, is attracting
a sizeable number of tourists. This year about 1,383 tourists witnessed
the tshechu, which is popular for its unique historical enactment of the
Pazaps (ancient warriors).
Meanwhile,
trekking is still small. Last year only 613 of the 13,626 tourists that
visited the country undertook a trekking type holiday, states the tourism
monitor, 2005.
Tourism
officials said that there is a misrepresentation that Bhutan is a trekking
destination because most tourists visiting Bhutan are cultural tourists.
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