What is Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd. (BTCL)?Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd. is the oldest and one of the most experienced of the kingdom’s agencies. It evolved out of Bhutan Tourism Corporation, established in 1974 when the country opened its doors to tourism, an occasion that commenced with the coronation of the fourth king of Bhutan. BTCL employs its own guides and drivers, owns hotels, a fleet of cars, vans, coaches, and handles its own ticketing services.
In 1996 Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd. (BTCL) asked Far Fung Places LLC, a private U.S. travel company, to create a website for Bhutan to educate the traveling public on this little-known kingdom in the Himalayas. At that time there were fewer than 10,000 visitors to Bhutan yearly. Kathleen Fung and Dennis Keser, both principals of Far Fung Places and passionate about Bhutan, began to create and market their own Bhutan programs through Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd. Their longer two week embellished programs to Bhutan and Eastern Bhutan became their trademark.
Fast forward to the present. Today Bhutan has over 275,000 regional and international visitors annually. Presently there are over 1000 registered Bhutan travel agencies marketing directly to travelers. For ease of booking a BTCL travel program, travelers in the USA can book through their partner, Far Fung Places, starting from January 2021.
How to book a program with Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd. (BTCL):
Travelers can choose to work with Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd. directly using their website email address. You will book your trip with one of the reservationist, who will then send you an invoice for your trip. You will send a scanned copy of your passport for visa issuance and full prepayment of your trip including the Druk Airlines tickets.
Or, you can opt to work with Far Fung Places, BTCL’s partner in the USA.
Choose the program that fits your ambitions for the trip, and contact Far Fung Places by email to facilitate your booking. We would be more than happy to assist you in deciding which program would be best for your needs. Once your trip has been confirmed, we will send you a booking packet and an invoice; your full payment is required within 15 days of your trip being confirmed.
As BTCL’s partner, we will handle the details of your trip with Bhutan: Payment for your Druk Airlines flight, visa, hotels, meals (buffet), guide, driver, vehicle, entrance fees, and Royal Tariff.
To assist you in preparing for the trip, we will send you a comprehensive Travel Prep Letter that covers everything from A to Z, information for travel insurance, and a health form that describes the level of the trip and asks for any food allergies and/or preferences.
Far Fung Places will forward all final documents well in advance of your trip, no later than thirty days prior to departure.* We will reconfirm your flight with Druk Airlines prior to your departure as minor flight times can change.
We will also reconfirm that your visa is issued properly with the correct dates and spelling of your name.
During peak festival periods, Bhutan immigration may take longer to confirm your visa.
Far Fung Places does charge a Service Fee of $325 per person to administer your trip with Bhutan Tourism Corporation LTD.
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