ABSTRACT
The King of Bhutan decided not to follow neighbouring Nepal‧s example and allow unrestricted tourism, with all its detrimental effects on the local culture and environment. Tourist numbers are limited by the relatively high cost of visiting Bhutan. All visitors must book and pay for all services – transport, guide, accommodation, meals and admission costs – in advance, for a set amount (around £140/US$250 per person per day). The profit pays for free health care and education for all Bhutanese. Individual travellers are treated as small groups, and are accompanied everywhere by a guide. As well as visiting the many Mahayana Buddhist monasteries and picturesque towns with wooden chalet-style houses, trekking in the mountains is increasingly popular. The modern world has been kept at bay in Bhutan until very recently – the wearing of national dress is mandatory, and television and mobile phones were only introduced in 1999. The national sport of archery is still the most popular male pastime. The determination to maintain the purity of Bhutanese culture culminated in the 1990s in ethnic Nepalese migrant workers being ordered to adopt Drukpa culture and prove citizenship entitlement based on residency. Large numbers who did not qualify have been in refugee settlements since then. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315065854/fcdcdc97-da1d-4e30-8d3a-08a54d4f1824/content/figu1_98_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
