At a time when China’ growing interest in Bhutan is prominently seen and cannot be overlooked, Bhutan has secured its place as an outstanding travel destination in the Chinese market, reported by the news agency.
Notably, this is the first time the country has received an award in the Chinese market.
Bhutan won the “Outstanding Destination Excellence Award” in December of last year at the 18th Golden Award of The National Geographic Traveller, one of the first international travel magazines published in China, reported by the news agency.
The Department of Tourism states that Bhutan will benefit from the designation as a top location for Chinese tourists looking to combine deep cultural immersion with environmental awareness.
“As we all know China is one of the biggest suppliers of tourists globally. And also this award is associated with National Geographic which is associated with landscapes, cultures and the wonders of our planet,” the Department of Tourism’s Director General, Dorji Dhradhul said, according to the news agency.
“We need to preserve these for our future generations. Therefore, this is also a big recognition of the sustainability initiatives that our country has taken particularly in tourism,” the Director General added.
In October last year, Bhutan’s Foreign Minister, Tandi Dorji, went to Beijing to hold the China-Bhutan boundary talks.
The 25th Round of Boundary Talks between Bhutan and China was held in Beijing on October 23-24, 2023. Lyonpo (Dr) Tandi Dorji, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan, led the Bhutanese delegation and Sun Weidong, Vice Foreign Minister of China, led the Chinese delegation there.
“During the talks, the two leaders of the delegations signed the Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Responsibilities and Functions of the Joint Technical Team (JTT) on the Delimitation and Demarcation of the Bhutan-China Boundary,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan had said in a press release.
The two sides agreed to continue working together to simultaneously push forward the implementation of all the steps of the Three-Step Roadmap.
Since 1984, talks between Bhutan and China have largely focused on two separate areas of dispute, including Doklam and other areas in Bhutan’s West, near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction, and the Jakarlung and Pasamlung valleys located near Tibet to Bhutan’s North.
Nestled between China and India, the majority-Buddhist nation ushered in democracy with its first free vote in 2008, two years after former king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicated in favour of his Oxford-educated son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.