Planning for sustainable tourism development in Bhutan.

Abstract This chapter investigates the ways in which tourism planning and policies in Bhutan promote, reinforce and constrain sustainability. The scope of this work covers food and beverage purchasing decisions, human resources, transportation and souvenir sales in the tourism and hospitality industry in Bhutan. To achieve these research objectives, 19 in-depth interviews were conducted with hotel general managers in the main tourism areas of Thimphu and Paro. The findings reveal that, while the controlled nature of tourism in Bhutan certainly protects its residents from the negative excesses of global tourism, numerous policies also impede tourism and hospitality from spreading their benefits more widely. Policy makers in Bhutan would rather adhere to the precautionary principle than allow detrimental practices or risk irreversible impact on Bhutanese culture.