Bhutan tourism statistics

• 209,376 tourists visited Bhutan in 2025, up 44.33% on 145,065 in 2024.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• The record year is still 2019, with 315,599 visitor arrivals.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• From January to September 2026, 195,429 tourists arrived, about 44% more than in the same months of 2025 (135,790).Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026). Our calculation from the official figures.
• May 2026 brought 47,343 arrivals, more than any month of 2019. The busiest month of 2019 was May, with 47,118.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, June 2026 (July 2026)
• About 62% of 2025 arrivals came from India, down from about 73% in 2019.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• In September 2026, 199 certified village homestays provided 510 rooms and 1,007 beds.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• Bhutan received visitors from 157 countries in 2025. After India, the biggest market was the United States, with 13,076.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• In 2025, Indian visitors stayed four nights on average and visitors from other countries five nights.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• The Sustainable Development Fee raised USD 43.31 million (Nu 3.95 billion) in 2025, against USD 29.35 million in 2024.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• The SDF is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027, half the USD 200 rate set when Bhutan reopened in September 2022.Source: Department of Tourism, SDF announcement of 25 August 2023 (August 2023)
• Tourism made up about 10% of Bhutan's GDP in 2019 (Nu 16,967 million).Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Satellite Account 2019 (January 2022)
• Bhutan had 3,547 licensed tour guides and 1,774 licensed tour operators in September 2026.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• Forests cover 69.71% of Bhutan, according to the 2021–22 National Forest Inventory.Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026)

Sources: Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (2012–2019), Monitor 2020, Tashel Melong 2025 (2022, 2023, 2025) and the December 2024 bulletin (2024).

• India is the largest market: 130,299 visitors in 2025, 62% of the total.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• The ten biggest markets in 2025 were India, the United States, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Germany, Australia and Thailand.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• Visitors from the United States rose 20% in a year, from 10,892 in 2024 to 13,076 in 2025, already above 2019 (10,602).Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• Malaysia (+95%) and Thailand (+92%) grew fastest among the top ten between 2024 and 2025.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• Bangladesh is the market furthest below 2019: 3,323 visitors in 2025 against 13,016 in 2019.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• In September 2026, the top markets after India (16,899) were the United States (1,275), China (1,114) and Bangladesh (682).Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)

• Spring was the busiest season in 2025, with 36.4% of arrivals, followed by autumn (34.7%), winter (15.2%) and summer (13.6%).Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• May (14.27% of the year's arrivals) and April (13.69%) were the busiest months of 2025.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• July is the quietest month: 4,851 arrivals in July 2025, against 29,879 in May 2025.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, December 2025 (January 2026)
• January 2026 had 10,627 arrivals, more than double January 2025 (4,951).Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)

• Average stay in 2025: four nights for Indian visitors, five nights for everyone else.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• In 2019 the national average stay was seven nights, and leisure visitors averaged six.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• More than 82,000 tourist visas and permits were processed in 2025: 52% on arrival, 43% through Bhutanese tour operators and 3% by travellers themselves.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• In September 2026, 13,829 visitors entered at the Phuentsholing land border and 10,862 at Paro International Airport.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• Counting every port, about 58% of September 2026 arrivals came by land and 42% by air.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026). Our calculation from the official figures.
• In 2019, 55% of all arrivals came by land, but more than 93% of international visitors flew in.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• Paro International Airport has a single 1,964 m runway, and flights may only land in daylight and good visibility.Source: Department of Air Transport, Airport Quick Facts (checked November 2026)
• Drukair, the national airline, flies to 10 international destinations in 6 countries and 3 domestic airports.Source: Drukair, About (checked November 2026)
• Bhutan Airlines, the second carrier, flies to Bangkok, Kolkata, Delhi and Kathmandu.Source: Bhutan Airlines, About us (checked November 2026)
• Gelephu Airport, with a 1,500 m runway, became an international airport on 16 September 2023.Source: Department of Air Transport, Gelephu International Airport (checked November 2026)
• 94.3% of 2019 visitors were in Bhutan for the first time. 89% came for holiday and leisure.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• The average 2019 visitor was 42 years old. 55% of visitors were men and 45% women.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)

SDF revenue, USD millions. 2021 and 2022 are not published in the sources we used.

• SDF revenue was USD 26.00 million in 2023, USD 29.35 million in 2024 and USD 43.31 million in 2025.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• In 2019, when the SDF was USD 65 a night, it raised USD 23.42 million, plus USD 2.57 million in visa fees.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• The Department of Tourism estimates visitors spend about USD 170 a night on top of the SDF, around USD 178 million across 2025.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• All 2019 visitors spent an estimated USD 345.88 million in Bhutan, an average of USD 1,354 per trip or USD 235 a day.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• Tourism GDP was Nu 16,967 million in 2019, about 10% of the economy.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Satellite Account 2019 (January 2022)
• Tourism supported an estimated 67,267 jobs in 2019.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Satellite Account 2019 (January 2022)
• The 2020 shutdown affected 50,737 people working in tourism.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2020 (June 2021)
• The government's target is for tourism to make up 10–15% of GDP by 2050.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)

• Until 2022, visitors paid a minimum package rate of USD 200–250 a night, which included a USD 65 SDF.Source: Tourism Council of Bhutan, Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2019 (April 2020)
• The Tourism Levy Act 2022 set the SDF at USD 200 a night, applied from reopening on 23 September 2022.Source: Tourism Levy Act of Bhutan 2022 (June 2022)
• From 1 September 2023 the SDF was halved to USD 100 per adult per night, valid until 31 August 2027.Source: Department of Tourism, SDF announcement of 25 August 2023 (August 2023)
• Children aged 6 to 11 pay USD 50 a night and children under 6 pay nothing.Source: Department of Tourism, FAQs (checked November 2026)
• Indian nationals pay Nu 1,200 per night (Nu 600 for children aged 6–11).Source: Department of Tourism, FAQs (checked November 2026)
• The first 15,000 visitors from Bangladesh each year can pay USD 15 or Nu 1,200 a night.Source: Department of Tourism, FAQs (checked November 2026)
• From 2 June 2026 until August 2027, visitors spending up to 24 hours in the border towns of Samtse, Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar pay no SDF.Source: Department of Tourism, FAQs (checked November 2026)
• The tourist visa costs a one-off USD 40.Source: Department of Tourism, Visa (checked November 2026)

• Bhutan had 3,547 licensed tour guides in September 2026: 2,916 trekking guides, 587 cultural guides, 30 tour leaders and 14 senior guides.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• Of the 2,398 guides assessed in 2025, 84% were rated competent.Source: Department of Tourism, Tashel Melong: Annual Tourism Snapshot 2025 (January 2026)
• 1,774 tour operators were licensed in September 2026.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• 552 places to stay were certified for tourists in September 2026, including 188 three-star, 23 four-star and 21 five-star hotels and 199 village homestays.Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• Three-star hotels hold most of the rooms: 4,118, against 695 in four-star and 593 in five-star hotels (September 2026).Source: Department of Tourism, Monthly Tourism Bulletin of Bhutan, September 2026 (October 2026)
• Every tourist must travel with a licensed guide. Under the 2024 rules, a group of more than 12 needs a second guide, and treks need one guide for every seven trekkers.Source: Tourism Rules and Regulations 2024 (August 2024)
• Since April 2026 the guide must be with tourists at all times, including on the drive from Paro airport to other districts.Source: Department of Tourism, notification on mandatory tour guides (8 April 2026)

• Bhutan's projected population for 2026 is 790,718.Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026)
• The 2017 census counted 727,145 residents. 37.8% lived in towns.Source: National Statistics Bureau, 2017 Population and Housing Census (2018)
• Bhutan covers 38,394 km².Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026)
• Population density was 19 people per km² at the 2017 census.Source: National Statistics Bureau, 2017 Population and Housing Census (2018)
• Elevation ranges from about 160 m to more than 7,000 m above sea level.Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026)
• Protected areas and biological corridors cover 19,966 km², about 52% of the country.Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026). Our calculation from the official figures.
• Bhutan's forests absorb about 11 million tonnes of CO2 a year, up from 9.6 million in 2015.Source: Department of Forests and Park Services, National Forest Inventory 2023 (1 August 2023)
• The 2022 Gross National Happiness Index was 0.781, up from 0.743 in 2010. 48.1% of people were classed as deeply or extensively happy.Source: Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies, GNH 2022 survey report (2023)
• GDP per capita was USD 4,660.90 in 2025.Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026)
• Installed hydropower capacity is 3,482 MW. Bhutan exported about half the 15,920 GWh it generated in 2025.Source: National Statistics Bureau, Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan 2025 (June 2026)
• Bhutan has 131 wild tigers (2021–22 survey), up 27% from 103 in 2015.Source: Department of Forests and Park Services, National Tiger Survey 2021–22 (30 July 2023)
• 134 snow leopards were counted in 2022–23, up from 96 in 2016.Source: Department of Forests and Park Services, National Snow Leopard Survey 2022–23 (17 September 2023)
• 709 black-necked cranes wintered in Bhutan in 2024–25.Source: Royal Society for Protection of Nature, black-necked crane (checked November 2026)