Administrators feel that the people of some remote villages in the east have proper hygiene and sanitation.
Health, Sanitation: Except for Merak and Sakteng, construction of flush toilets for 6,786 households in 15 gewogs of Trashigang  has been scrapped from the 10th Plan.

Construction of toilets worth Nu 6.78M was dropped during the government’s midterm review of 2010.

Samkhar gup Sonam Dorji said since Trashigang was the only dzongkhag of the 20 proposing for flush toilets, the construction for its individual households was axed .

“People already had pit toilets because of which construction of latrines for individual households was laid off,” he said. “There were more pressing needs of the households at hand.”

One of the gewog administrative officers in the dzongkhag, who under anonymity said people of Trashigang were much better off than other villages in neighbouring dzongkhags to require government assistance for the purpose.

“Government assistance could be diverted for other  purposes than build lavatories,” she said.

Another gewog administration official Sonam Dorji said while construction of toilets was as important from the health and sanitation point of view, it followed road connectivity and water supply in the list of priorities in the villages under the 10th Plan. “Therefore, budgets for construction of toilets was diverted to construction of farm roads,” he said.

Gewog officials said the construction of toilets was  allocated for poor villagers in the boondocks.

Samkhar received a budget of Nu 500,000 in 2008 fiscal year for construction of toilets and Bidung and Shongphu also received budget enough to build a few lavatories that same year.

With that money in Samkhar some 50 household, who were given Nu 10,000 each from the total budget, have built themselves a toilet each.

“Of the total 50 toilets, around 25 were built in Khapti and Bikhar and the rest were divided among residents of Melphey and Pam,” Sonam Dorji said.

The construction of lavatory was done on a cost-sharing basis, in that the gewog provided the raw materials like corrugated iron sheets, cement and toilet sink, while people chipped in the labour, stone and sand.

Radhi gup Jigme Namgyel said the construction of toilets, nevertheless, remained a necessity in the villages.

“It’s likely that people will propose its construction in the next plan,” he said. “But that is subject to the next government’s approval.”

Health officials consider the move on the part of the villages to shelve construction of toilets for other gains was misguided.

Radhi health worker Pema Wangchuk said health, hygiene and sanitation was poor in rural areas and thus the still prevalent common cases of diseases like diarrhoea  and dysentery in villages.

“To have an individual household latrine is mandatory  in the villages,” he said.

Although Radhi is considered one of the economically better offs in Trashigang, not every villager, some of them said were in a position to afford flush toilets as opposed to some of the gewog administration officers’ claims.

Villager Kinzang Wangdi from Langtaen said more than 400 households of the total 750 in Radhi still needed flush toilets and with government assistance.

“Only around 200 households might have standard flush toilets while rest would be either using pit toilets  or bushes,” he said. “It’s difficult for a villager, even through cost-sharing, to build a flush-toilet that costs more than Nu 10,000.”

An annual household survey from Radhi health unit in 2010 revealed that around 60 households lacked proper toilets.

Of the total households only 574 had toilets, of which again, only 172 had flush toilets.

More than 400 households continue to use pit toilets.

“Pit toilet is safer than not having one at all but it is still not as safe as flush toilets,” Radhi health assistant Sangay Tshomo said. “They still leave room for germs to spread.”

She added that some households never had any toilets, while a few were under construction at the time of the survey.

“Diarrhoea and dysentery may have dropped to fourth position among top ten diseases,” she said. “But without proper toilets for every household, the risk of it climbing is real.”

Dollar and ngultrum

This may not be the right time to order the SUV you always dreamt of owning or buy an expensive electronic gadget for your wife.

They could cost you a lot more than they normally would.

The value of the Ngultrum has dropped like a rock against the dollar. The banks sell US dollars at an all time high rate of Nu.52.95 a dollar.

This means, it will be far more expensive to buy imported goods which have to be paid for in US dollar.

“If you are importing a car from Korea or from Japan, costing 10,000 dollars, earlier you paid Nu. 455,000. Now, at the present rate, you would be paying Nu. 520,000,” explained KuengaTshering, the director of the national statistical bureau,

It is not only expensive cars or electronics imported from Japan or the US. The drop in the value of Ngultrum can also affect of the price of goods imported from India.

The Ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee.

“India imports oil. They will have to pay more for the same amount of oil. Therefore the price of oil will go up in India. The increase in the price of oil affects other sectors like transportation or the cost of operating the machinery which will increase the production cost which in turn will hike up the price of the goods.”

Bhutan imports more than 75 percent of goods and commodities from outside, mainly from India.

The volcano that had been dormant for nearly two centuries erupted on April 14, filling the European airspace with ash, which flight safety experts said could severely damage jet engines. The cancelled trips of the 82 tourists are from April 18 until May 6, with stays in Bhutan ranging from five to 15 days. “The payment of all these 82 tourists have been made,” said TCB’s visa officer Sangay Lhaden. “Right now, the whole amount of USD 180 per tourist is with us and we’ll be refunding their payments.”

The months of March, April and May bring in more than 6,000 tourists into the country every year. Last year, 8,190 tourists flew into Bhutan in these three months. One of the tour operators, Needup Wangdi of All Bhutan Connection, said that 19 tourists, 17 from Poland and two from Germany, who were scheduled to arrive for their six-day trip to Bhutan, cancelled their trip on April 19. “Their flights were cancelled when they were about to fly to Delhi,” Needup Wangdi said. “We’ve spent USD 9,758 alone on tickets and we’re not sure if it would be refunded.”

Of the USD 200 daily tariff, 10 percent is usually paid as commission to the overseas agent. Sangay Lhaden, however, said that some tourists might want to visit later. Druk executive travel’s owner, Kinley Namgay, said that 13 tourists from Netherlands had cancelled their trip on April 17. “We’ve spent about USD 22,000 including the airfares,” Kinley Namgay said.

He said the Drukair tickets for this group were bought through block purchase, which has a very rigid booking and cancellation policy with no refunds. “We’ve requested Drukair, but they’ve indicated that they’ll go as per the policy,” Kinley Namgay said, adding that payment for hotel bookings, transportation and guides also have to be taken care of.

Some of the travel agents, whose tourists have cancelled their trip to Bhutan, are Snow White tours with 16 cancellations, Rainbow tours and treks had seven and Luxury division and Bhutan Dorji Holidays with six each. According to royal monetary authority’s 2008-2009 annual report, Europeans and North Americans largely dominate Bhutan’s tourism market. The two blocs accounted for 71 percent of all visitors to Bhutan in 2008. With almost 75 percent of flight to and from Europe resuming yesterday, Bhutanese tour operators are hoping that there will fewer cancellations in the coming days. Iceland, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, is famous for its hot springs, geysers and active volcanoes.
Source: Kuensel By Sonam Pelden

Given the existing policy of ‘high value low volume’ tourism, USD 200 a day is generally seen as expensive, because it is assumed to be the cost of the daily visa fee. It’s surprising that, even after all these years of opening up to tourism, most prospective tourists do not know that the USD 200 a day also covers the cost for food, lodge, transport and guide services. There’s a serious communication gap that needs to be bridged.

Still, the notion that tourists may decide to go some place else instead of coming to Bhutan because official tariffs have gone up by USD 50 does not sound convincing, when every blessed year Bhutan keeps featuring as one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Whichever way one looks at it, Bhutan, by virtue of being what it is, does offer something unique that is not available anywhere else, starting from a living Buddhist culture to clean air. Such things have not been put in place to impress tourists – it’s just there – although keeping it that way has become the priority.

What the revised tariff does is throw a challenge to Bhutanese operators to drastically improve services. Poor service is turning out to be the curse of the Bhutanese tourism industry. With royalty payable to the government remaining the same at USD 65, the revised tariff actually offers operators a chance to improve services, from food to tour packages, and at the same time make more, if looked at from an optimistic angle.

As it is, there are operators, who are bringing in tourists at USD 300 and more. What is it that they are offering, considering that the living culture and natural environment is there to be enjoyed by all? Yet, as some sceptics rightly say, revising the tariff means little to a large majority of tour operators, who are in any case marketing Bhutan at rates much lower than the official USD 200 a day, compelling them to cut corners to make the margins.

Still, some operators have pointed out that the new tariff that will be applicable the whole year round would make it difficult to market Bhutan during the lean season, which today has a special concessional rate. If the numbers are to increase, it must happen during the lean season, because tourists are in any case willing to pay more than the official tariff during the season. Something could be worked out on this, even as the government works to create other compelling reasons to visit Bhutan.
Source: Kuensel Editorial

Along with this limiting requirement, Bhutanese, who do purchase a ticket online, will have to pay the same fare tourists are charged. Currently, Bhutanese passengers receive subsidised fares, when purchasing a ticket from a Drukair office in Bhutan. “This won’t be an immediate solution for our Bhutanese customers,” said Tshering Penjor. To obtain the subsidised fare, Bhutanese citizens will still have to buy their tickets physically from either Thimphu or Paro.

But Tshering Penjor said a major criticism by Drukair customers had been addressed. Tickets can now be purchased from anywhere in the world, he said, “we’re represented worldwide.” The commercial manager said that Kasikorn bank in Thailand will provide the payment gateway for the online purchase system. The tourism council chairman, Kesang Wangdi, will inaugurate the online system by issuing a free ticket for himself.
Source: Kuensel. By Gyalsten K Dorji

They also discussed a wide range of is­sues including Gross National Happiness (GNH) and recent eco­nomic downturns. Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley expressed his appreciation for Japan’s support to Bhutan’s develop­ment and noted that a high level Japanese delegation would be visiting the kingdom later this month to observe the SAARC summit. Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley spoke on GNH at the Japan National Press Club which was followed by a question and answer session with a Japanese media con­tingent comprising of about 40 journalists. Four Liberal Demo­cratic Party’s (LDP) MPs – Mr. Moriyama Hiroshi from Ka­goshima Prefecture, Mr. Ishida Masatoshi of Wakayoma Pre­fecture, Mr. Tanose Ryotomo of Nara Prefecture and Ms. Koyke Yuriko of Tokyo Metro – also called on the prime minister today. They were accompanied by Dr. Ryoichi Nagata, President and CEO of SNBL and Honor­ary Consul-designate of Bhutan in Kyushu and Okinawa dis­tricts.

A traditional Japanese dinner was hosted by Japanese Entrepreneurs and Presidents Asso­ciation (JEPA) in the evening today in which the Lyonchhen presented the Letters of Appointment to the Honorary Consul General of Bhutan in Tokyo, and the Honorary Consul of Bhutan in Kyushu- Okinawa districts. The Letter of Ap­pointment to the Honorary Consul of Kinki District would be presented on the morning of April 17. The prime minister and his delegation are scheduled to leave Tokyo on 17 April.  Source: Bhutan Today

He also said that mankind’s quest for unlimited growth is directly responsible for the depletion of natural resourc¬es, collapse of biodiversity, climate destabilization and the imminent disappearance of some of the island states and coastal areas.

Lyonchen said that in Bhu¬tan, the impact of climate change was immediate and life-threatening demanding mitigation and adaptation ef¬forts that the country could hardly afford. That is the very reason, he said, why Bhutan convinced the Saarc countries to accept climate change as the focus of deliberations in the upcoming summit. For far too long, he told the gathering, GDP and the mar¬ket have blinded people into thinking that they were the source of well-being and hap¬piness, which fortunately was beginning to change. He said that the challenge for the Japanese genius was to explore alternatives to the conventional way of life, the current development model that guided individual and nations alike. “Japan can and must be in the forefront of innovation to a new way of life. If the old way has been of your making, should not the new way be of your choice and endeavour as well?” he asked, adding that the Japa¬nese have never been lacking in courage and creativity.

The two-day national semi¬nar is an annual event where all the members get together from all over Japan to share and discuss issues faced by Japan and find solutions to them. After the keynote address, Lyonchhen gave a press conference to the Japanese media apart from separate interviews with the biggest Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri, NHK and Fuji televisions. On his arrival in Japan on the morning of April 14, Prime Minister was received in Tokyo by Professor Pema Gyalpo, cultural adviser to the Prime Minister on Japan and the Far East, and Mr Ta¬kaaki Asano, manager for the Department of Policy Studies, JACE.

Several corporate execu¬tives and eminent personali¬ties called on Prime Minister after his arrival in Japan.
On the evening of April 14, a traditional style banquet at¬tended by some 500 people was held for Lyonchhen at the Katsurahama Beach. Prime Minister will meet his Japanese counterpart, Mr Yukio Hatoyama, at the lat¬ter’s official residence tomor¬row before returning to Bhu¬tan on April 18.

Source: Bhutan Observer

Kochi representing 43 associations from all around Japan. The attendance, according to the chairman of Kochi As­sociation of Corporate Executives (KACE), Mr. Tomomi Hisamat­su, was the second largest, next only to the one held in Kyoto two years ago. The primary attrac­tion was the GNH address by the Bhu­tanese prime minis­ter, said Mr. Tomomi Hisamatsu. The two-day na­tional seminar is an annual event where all the members got together from all over Japan to share and discuss issues faced by Japan and find solutions.

After the keynote address, Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley gave a press conference to the Japanese media besides separate interviews with the biggest Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri, NHK and Fuji televi­sions.  Arriving in Japan on the morning of 14 April, the prime minister was received in Tokyo by Professor Pema Gyalpo, cultural adviser to the prime minister on Japan and the Far East, and Mr. Takaaki Asano, manager for the Department of Policy Studies, Japanese As­sociation of Corporate Executives.

Several corpo­rate executives and eminent personalities called on the prime minister after arriv­ing in Japan. They included Mr. Kasamit­su Sakurai, Chairman of JACE and Direc­tor and Chairman of RICOH, Mr. Keiji Ari­tomi, Vice-Chairman of JACE and Vice President of Kezai Doyukai and Direc­tor and Chairman of Yamamoto Holdings, Mr. Kunio Kojima, President, JACE, the Governor of the Kochi Prefecture, Mr. Ma­sanao Ozaki, and the Chairman of the Kobe Bhutan Friendship Association (KBFA), Mr. Yukio Sakamoto.  On the evening of April 14, a traditional style banquet at­tended by some 500 people was held for prime minister at the Katsurahama Beach.  The prime minister will meet his Japa­nese counterpart Mr. Yukio Hatoyama at the latter’s official residence tomorrow before returning to Bhutan on April 18.

Among the attendees were 788 participants from outside Kochi representing 43 associations from all around Japan. The attendance was the second largest, next only to the one held in Kyoto two years ago, according to the chairman of Kochi association of corporate executives (KACE), Tomomi Hisamatsu. The two-day national seminar is an annual event, where all the members get together from all over Japan to share and discuss issues faced by Japan and find solutions. After the keynote address, Lyonchhoen gave a press conference to the Japanese media, besides separate interviews with the Yomiuri newspaper and NHK and Fuji televisions.

On arriving in Japan on April 14, the prime minister was received in Tokyo by professor Pema Gyalpo, cultural advisor to the prime minister on Japan and the Far East, and Takaaki Asano, manager for the department of policy studies, Japanese association of corporate executives. Several corporate executives and eminent personalities called on the prime minister after his arrival in Japan. They included Kasamitsu Sakurai, chairman of JACE and director and chairman of RICOH, Keiji Aritomi, vice-chairman of JACE and vice president of Kezai Doyukai and director and chairman of Yamamoto holdings, Kunio Kojima, president, JACE, the governor of the Kochi prefecture, Masanao Ozaki, and the chairman of the Kobe-Bhutan friendship association (KBFA), Yukio Sakamoto.

On the evening of April 14, a traditional style banquet attended by some 500 people was held for the prime minister at the Katsurahama beach. The prime minister will meet his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama at the latter’s official residence tomorrow before returning to Bhutan on April 18.
Source: Kuensel

“We wouldn’t mind a further raise in tariff during peak seasons,” he said, adding that they needed some incentives, both for their agents and tourists to visit the country during the lean season and a reduction in the tariff was it. Etho Metho’s Sangay Wangchuk fears the USD 250 tariff will immensely impact their company, which brought in mostly regular tourists, who could afford only standard trips and manage USD 200 a day. He said about 80 percent of their guests were regular tourists. “Only 20 percent can afford to live in resorts like Aman and Uma,” Sangay Wangchuk said.

While their agents abroad were already selling the spring tourism package of other countries across the world, Sangay Wangchuk saids theirs was still on the hold. “If our tourists and agents see a sudden hike in rates, our bookings will dwindle,” he said. “They say they’ve barely recovered from the recession and Bhutan is raising its rates.” He said the government’s plan to raise the tariff and expect more tourists was a paradoxical one.

“Unless we bring in tourists from the neighbouring nations to make up the numbers, getting dollar paying tourists is going to be difficult,” Sangay Wangchuk said. “We need to think about how ready we are, instead of just deciding to increase tourist numbers.” Karma Lotey agreed and said that, unless the country was ready with the many destinations it plans to open within the country to provide packages during the lean season, charging a uniform rate throughout the year was a deterrent to bringing in the desired tourist number. “We’ll be putting a request to the government to discuss the matter,” Karma Lotey said.

Bhutan tourism corporation’s managing director Thinley W Dorji said that, since the existing tariff had remained unchanged for about two decades, it was only fair to raise it. He said that, with improvement in standards across the country over the years, hotel, food and transportation costs had increased.

Since the revised tariff would come into effect only by 2012, he said Bhutanese tour operators had ample time to inform their agents abroad of the change, change brochures and convince tourists. “While there may not be serious fall in number of tourists visiting the country, there won’t be a big increase either,” Thinley W Dorji said.

Sonam Dorji explained the raise in tariff meant that tour operators would have to raise the standard of services and provide value-for-money to their guests. “The fact that the government only increased the tariff and not the royalty is clear,” he said. “Tour operators will have to provide better accommodation, meal plans, transportation and other entertainment.” However, of the many tour operators Kuensel spoke to, only one said he was indifferent to the changes in tariff.

A tour operator Namgay said that, as long as they offered different itineraries from those that all tourism companies follow year round no different from one another’s, tourists will definitely flock in regardless of what season or how much fees they were charged. Taking them on day tours to apple orchards where people are picking apples in the lean month of July or to a nearby village where farmers grow rice in the fields, Namgay said, was far better experience than taking them on the same bird watching tours.

“They take joy in momentarily engaging in picking apples from trees, planting rice in marshy waters and plowing fields that are bull-dragged,” he said. “In fact, many are willing to pay more than USD 250 a day for such experiences.”
Source: Kuensel, By Samten Wangchuk