Destination Management in the Kingdom of Bhutan



The Kingdom of Bhutan is one of the world's most unique cultural tourism destinations, combining a rich Buddhist heritage with well preserved architectural and folklore traditions protected through centuries of relative isolation, set within remote Himalayan valleys. The Government is now seeking to decentralise aspects of destination management to the zongkhags (districts). Following a short fact finding mission, we facilitated a three day workshop on destination management for district officials and private sector representatives, including practical work on visitor and community surveys and participatory exercises on the identification of sustainability indicators. We also represented the UN World Tourism Organization at the event, which was run in conjunction with SNV Bhutan.