Destination and Design
Bhutan’s reduced tourism fee, a new boutique hotel in Paris
This week, the New York Times highlighted the growing interest in Adventure Tourism. The full piece goes on the illuminate the reasons for the uptick in adventure travel, the details of a Mongolian road trip, and our impact in visiting these less popular destinations.
Post-pandemic interest for travel in general is indeed surging. While attending Virtuoso Travel Week in August, I learned that:
In the first half of 2023, Virtuoso reported a 69 percent uptick in sales versus 2019 numbers, with hotel and cruise segments leading the way, up 173 percent and 122 percent respectively.
My own love of the road trip was renewed as the world shut down. It was a way to maintain good mental health with a small amount of intentional travel. I’d weigh my possible impact on visiting a community, a mental checklist of: Ensure I’m negative for Covid, I should camp which will minimize contact with others, spending money in this destination can help the local economy.
I tend to curate travel for the luxury client, and also adore working with those who have an adventurous spirit. Travel can be many things: An escape from the daily routine, a bit of pampering, a chance to unplug, new and unique culinary offerings. May we consider that these experiences are life-changing not only to the traveler, but also for the destination. It’s my desire to continue to plan travel to less visited lands, ones that are both eager and prepared to receive thoughtful visitors.
Bhutan is on that list. Next year, the Kingdom of Bhutan celebrates 50 years of welcoming foreign visitors. In an effort to encourage more tourism, they have cut their Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) by half. The new fee is $100 USD per person, per night, down from $200. Children under age six will not incur a fee, and children age six to twelve will have a fee of $50 per person, per night.
The collection of the SDF funds free healthcare and education for all Bhutanese, sustainability and conservation projects, and infrastructure upgrades. The SDF has historically been a financial factor in deciding to visit Bhutan, but the fee decrease and extent of the funding merit a visit, in my book.
Now for the fun part…hotel design eye candy! Did you know Bhutan is the world’s only carbon negative country? These hotels are committed to sustainability and preservation of their natural resources. They’re also stunning.
Some incredible luxury lodges include:
On to France…this week I had the pleasure of visiting the utterly adorable La Fantaisie Hotel in Paris. Located in the 9th, this luxury boutique property just opened in July. The design is sweet and sunny, and the property also houses Dominique Crenn’s new venture, Golden Poppy. The plates are adorned with the tiniest edible flowers (go for the Sea Bass Ceviche). Unabashedly Cali-French chic, a little girly, and a lot of fun.
Sage Travels,
H