Tuesday, February 28, 2023
To mark the birth anniversary of Bhutan’s King and Losar, the Bhutanese New Year, a decision was taken by the Department of Tourism (DoT) in partnership with Bhutan Duty-Free (BDF) to make gold duty-free in Phuentsholing and Thimphu for tourists who pay the ‘Sustainable Development Fee’ (SDF) in Bhutan.
Apart from being tax-free, Bhutan’s duty-free outlets “will not make any profit as the aim is to promote tourism”.
The new scheme is likely to benefit Indians the most, as they are the largest group of tourists to Bhutan.
According to Bhutan’s national media outlet, Kuensel, any SDF-paying tourist will be able to acquire duty-free gold if they stay at a Department of Tourism-certified hotel for at least one night. The gold will be available for purchase in the Bhutanese cities of Phuentsholing and Thimphu beginning March 1.
The report further stated that the gold will be sold by duty-free outlets which normally sell luxury items and are owned by the Bhutanese finance ministry.
“To mark the double auspicious day (Birth Anniversary of His Majesty The King and Losar, the Bhutanese New Year), the Department of Tourism (DoT) in partnership with Bhutan Duty-Free (BDF) will sell limited quantities of duty-free gold for SDF-paying tourists,” the media outlet stated.
“All SDF-paying tourists will be eligible to purchase duty-free gold as long as they spend at least one night at a Department of Tourism-certified hotel. The gold will be available for purchase from March 1, in Thimphu and Phuentsholing,” it added.
Notably, 10 grams of 24-carat gold in India (as on February 27, 2023) costs ₹ 51,400. The same amount of gold costs Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN) 40,286 in Bhutan.
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