The "kingdom of happiness" is not entirely living up to its name as it faces unprecedented emigration and rocketing youth unemployment alongside other economic challenges.
As Bhutan tries to restore its fortunes, "tourism is seen as a major lever to pull", said the Bangkok Post, so there's "good reason" to visit the tiny Himalayan nation now, "before bigger crowds descend", added Bloomberg UK.
At present there are high levels of youth unemployment, dwindling foreign currency reserves and one in eight Bhutanese lives in poverty, according to a report from the World Bank. This has led to many residents trying their luck elsewhere: "Last year 1.5% of the population moved to Australia to work and study," said The Guardian.
As more people leave, fewer are arriving. Bhutan welcomed 103,000 visitors last year, about two-thirds below its pre-pandemic record reached in 2019, so tourism is considered vital to helping address the economic problems. The new target is to return to 300,000 visitors annually. But marketing the destination broadly "has its risks", said Bloomberg, and, as it appears more frequently on social media feeds, "travel influencers" are starting to take note.
This means the government and tour operators are "caught with that dilemma" of wanting to boost numbers, but paying "the penalty" with the effects, Brent Olson, founder of Ethos Bhutan, told the publication. Once that content spreads and "hooks millions of people" they are "like lemmings and they follow the same path". It becomes a "tricky balancing act" and it would not take a lot to "overwhelm" Bhutan's small towns and cultural sites.
All of this means there's "no time like now", said Bloomberg, to avoid the crowds that are "thinking about visiting the Land of the Thunder Dragon". | 
