Shangri-La Economics

DAYTRIPPING AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE

Then again, who in their right mind spends only one day in Venice, a city you could happily explore for the rest of your life and not be done with it?

A conundrum faced by many tourist hotspots is finding ways of mitigating against superficial tourism, the fleeting in-out of tour groups, cruise ship quick stops, and people who blow through without spending a cent.

Pre-pandemic there was widespread talk of limiting tourist numbers in some cities, and now Venice will collect a daily fee from visitors who don’t spend the night. The plan goes into effect on 1 January, and will require visitors to buy a ticket online, in advance, for between $3.25 and $10.85.

Meanwhile, Bhutan will reopen its borders this September with a nasty shock for tourists. Since 1974, the country’s “high value, low volume” policy has bound international visitors to a minimum daily spend designed to stave off mass tourism. The $250 covered a mandatory tour guide, accommodations, meals, as well as a $65 “sustainable development fee”.

But when Bhutan reopens on 23 September, visitors will fork out a breathtaking $200 daily tax that’ll go straight into the government’s coffers; all other expenses will be additional.

‘Covid-19 has allowed us to rethink how the sector can be best structured and operated, so that it not only benefits Bhutan economically, but socially as well, while keeping carbon footprints low,’ said Dr Tandi Dorji, Bhutan’s foreign minister and chairman of its tourism council. He plans to market Bhutan as ‘an exclusive destination’ suited to ‘discerning tourists’.