With shared Buddhist heritage, expanding air connectivity and growing demand for meaningful travel, Thailand offers Bhutan one of its strongest opportunities to grow high-value tourism.
As Bhutan searches for new avenues for its tourism sector while staying true to its “High Value, Low Volume” policy, one of its greatest opportunities may lie not in distant markets, but in one of its closest friends, the Kingdom of Thailand.
Thailand and Bhutan share far more than diplomatic ties. The two Buddhist kingdoms are bound by enduring royal goodwill, centuries-old spiritual traditions, expanding air connectivity and warm people-to-people relations. Despite these natural advantages, tourism between the two countries remains well below its potential.
The numbers tell the story. According to the Bhutan Tourism Monitor, Bhutan welcomed 18,925 Thai tourists between 2015 and 2019, averaging nearly 3,800 visitors annually before the COVID-19 pandemic brought global travel to a standstill. After tourism resumed, Thailand has continued to rank among Bhutan’s principal Countries Other Than India (COTI) markets.
For a country positioning as an exclusive and sustainable destination, these figures represent both success and a missed opportunity. Thailand is among Asia’s largest outbound tourism markets. Every year, millions of Thai citizens travel overseas in search of cultural experiences, wellness retreats, religious pilgrimages, nature, luxury and meaningful journeys. Increasingly, they are moving away from crowded destinations and seeking places that offer authenticity, tranquillity and sustainability. Few destinations embody those values better than Bhutan.
This message resonated strongly during the Bhutan–Thailand Trade, Tourism and Entrepreneurship Partnership Summit 2026, held in Thimphu last week. Among the strongest advocates for Bhutan was Ms. Saranglak Promlue, Chief Executive Officer of Vajra Kingdom Tour and Trekking Co. Ltd., one of Thailand’s leading Bhutan-focused tour operators.
Having invested years in promoting Bhutan within Thailand, she believes the Kingdom possesses exactly the kind of tourism product modern Thai travellers are increasingly seeking. She described Bhutan’s unique development philosophy, its ability to balance economic progress with environmental conservation, cultural preservation and the wellbeing of its people, as one of the country’s greatest attractions.
For her, Bhutan is not competing against destinations such as Japan, Korea or Europe. “It does not compete on volume,” she said. “It competes on quality, authenticity and sustainability,” qualities that have become increasingly valuable in today’s tourism landscape.
As destinations around the world struggle with overcrowding and overtourism, Bhutan offers something increasingly rare, a destination where culture remains living rather than staged, forests remain protected, traditions remain vibrant and development continues to be guided by values.
Ms. Saranglak believes these strengths position Bhutan exceptionally well in several high-value tourism segments, including sustainable tourism, wellness, hospitality, luxury travel and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE).
Her company is already exploring opportunities for further investment in Bhutan and she says Bhutan’s appeal extends well beyond sightseeing. “Thai travellers are increasingly seeking meaningful journeys rather than simply visiting popular attractions,” she explained. “Bhutan offers authenticity, spirituality, pristine natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage, wellness experiences, trekking, luxury travel and genuine human connections.” “Its commitment to sustainability, cultural preservation and responsible development is its greatest competitive advantage,” she said.
Perhaps more importantly, she sees the shared Buddhist heritage as an emotional bridge between the two countries, one capable of creating experiences that few destinations can replicate. Bhutan’s monasteries, sacred sites and spiritual traditions resonate naturally with Thai visitors, many of whom already undertake religious pilgrimages throughout Asia. This presents opportunities to develop specialised Buddhist pilgrimage circuits, meditation retreats, monastic immersion programmes and cultural exchanges that could attract not only leisure travellers, but also students, spiritual seekers and wellness practitioners.
The opportunities extend even further and Ms. Saranglak also sees enormous potential in corporate incentive travel, executive leadership retreats, educational exchanges and specialised interest groups.
Fortunately, the infrastructure needed to support growth is already in place. Today, Drukair and Bhutan Airlines operate around 18 weekly flights between Bhutan and Thailand, providing an annual seat capacity of more than 83,000 seats. Bangkok remains Bhutan’s principal international aviation gateway, making travel between the two kingdoms easier than ever before.
The relationship is already flourishing in the opposite direction. Thailand welcomed 21,581 Bhutanese visitors in 2024, a figure that climbed to 29,072 in 2025, reflecting Thailand’s growing popularity among Bhutanese travellers for leisure, education and medical tourism.
The imbalance suggests that connectivity is no longer the obstacle. Neither is goodwill. The real challenge is visibility. Despite its growing reputation internationally, Bhutan remains relatively unknown to many Thai travellers beyond its image as a peaceful Himalayan kingdom.
Targeted marketing campaigns involving Thai travel influencers, Buddhist organisations, airlines, universities, wellness operators and premium travel agencies could significantly expand Bhutan’s presence in one of Southeast Asia’s most promising outbound markets and help transform awareness into arrivals.
Bhutan has long championed a tourism model that values quality over quantity. Thailand is precisely the kind of market that complements this vision. As Bhutan diversifies its visitor markets and looks to secure long-term, sustainable growth, Thailand represents more than just another source market. It represents a strategic partner whose travellers already value the very experiences Bhutan offers.
Sometimes the greatest opportunities are not found in discovering new friends, but in deepening relationships with old ones. For Bhutan, unlocking the full potential of the Thai market could become one of the country’s most important tourism success stories in the years ahead.
Sherab Dorji, Thimphu
