The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small country in the eastern Himalayas bordering China to the north and India to the south. Bhutan has long limited how the world visits it. Now, a new airport and a city that combines tradition and innovation may change the face of tourism in the kingdom.
Gelephu International Airport, scheduled to open in 2029, has already won the "Future Project of the Year" award at the World Architecture Festival 2025. The terminal will be built from Bhutanese wood and is designed to regulate humidity naturally and evoke the mountain landscapes beneath which it sits. As befits a Buddhist country: There will be spaces in the airport for sound healing treatments, yoga, and meditation.
With a planned capacity of 123 flights a day, its true purpose is to serve as a gateway to the ambitious new city Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), which may change the face of the country and make one of the hardest-to-reach destinations in the world much more accessible to international travelers.
An Isolated and Prestigious Kingdom
Bhutan, the world's last Buddhist kingdom, nestled between the highest mountain range on Earth, spent much of its history as a reclusive state. It was largely closed to the outside world for centuries, and only in 1974 did it begin to allow tourists to enter, adopting a policy of charging an expensive entry tax and allowing only a few people to enter: This was in order to protect its cultural heritage and avoid over-tourism.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most international visitors were required to book an entry visa through an authorized company in Bhutan and pay a minimum daily rate of $200–$250 per day, which included accommodation, meals, a guide, internal transportation, and entry fees to the country. Since 2022, the total rate has been replaced by an entry tax alone of $100 per night for an adult, and the rest of the travel costs are paid separately. Despite the new airport: Bhutan is determined to maintain its unique model of high-value, low-volume tourism.
As a result of its conduct, Bhutan has been perceived over the years as a destination that is difficult to reach, and the arrival was actually part of its charm – therefore it aroused the curiosity of tourists and attracted many to come to it.
The Accessibility Problem
Paro, in western Bhutan, is the country's only international airport, but since it serves only two airlines (Drukair and Bhutan Airlines) it usually receives only eight flights a day. To reach Bhutan from Israel, one can take a flight to places like Bangkok (Thailand) or Delhi (India) – and from there take a connecting flight. Note that there are usually a limited number of flights per week and the prices are not cheap – round-trip flights from Bangkok can cost over $1,200.
At an altitude of 2,243 meters, surrounded by mountains 5,500 meters high: Paro is considered one of the most challenging airports in the world. This is because it is located in a narrow and winding mountain valley: The landing and takeoff require many sharp turns, and therefore fewer than 50 pilots are qualified to land there, and in 2025 only 88,546 passengers visited it.
Most tourists who land in Paro follow a well-known route between different valleys in the country – each of them includes five-star luxury hotels. Those who fly in hardly ever reach the biodiversity-rich southern fringes of Bhutan. The new airport will open the wild and less-visited south of the country to a new wave of travelers and spiritual seekers, and will also serve the new mindfulness city, which the King hopes will eventually house one million Bhutanese and foreign residents by 2060. Gelephu is also expected to receive a railway connection to Assam in India: This will help create the country's first railway network.
A New Way to See Bhutan
The idea to build a large tourism and economic center in Gelephu was born more than a decade ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic was what accelerated the process. During the pandemic the country was closed almost completely until September 2022: This harmed the tourism industry and worsened a wave of youth departure that was already in full swing.
By developing an independent city within the kingdom that combines incentives for international businesses with an emphasis on sustainability and spirituality: Bhutan hopes that the new city will not only create jobs and attract investors, but also attract travelers beyond the familiar western route to its less-visited south.
Southern Bhutan was not always an area accessible to foreigners or even to Bhutanese settlement. Malaria, monsoons, elephants, and tigers kept the population concentrated in the central valleys and highlands. When the British tried to control the area in approximately 1860: They were repelled after a five-month battle against the Bhutanese. As a result, the south remained wild.
Wildlife, Hiking Trails, and Home Hospitality
The Bhutan you will see in Gelephu is very different from the monastery-clad cliffs or the prayer flags fluttering in the wind that characterize the country. It is green and tropical – with cardamom plantations and orange fields, agricultural lands, rivers, palms, and hot springs that have attracted the residents of Bhutan for generations.
In the Royal Manas National Park, bordering Gelephu – travelers will be able to meet elephants, tigers, rhinos, clouded leopards, golden langurs, and over 360 bird species, including the critically endangered White-bellied Heron, half of whose global population lives in Bhutan.
Like many things in Bhutan: The development of tourism in Gelephu is also done with spiritual thought. The country has invited Buddhist masters to submit proposals for retreat centers and temples to be built in the new city. At the same time, Bhutan's central monastic body has proposed establishing a "Dzong" – a monastic fortress – with guest rooms and spaces for dance and Buddhist studies.
In Bhutan, they hope that the new airport will also attract trekkers. The "Lotus-Born" trail located near Gelephu and opening to hikers in 2028: It stretches over 168 km and connects the south to the center of the country. The trail, which takes eight days, starts in low forests where golden langurs and one-horned rhinos live, climbs almost 3,500 meters through wild forests to alpine ridges in central Bhutan, and follows the path of Guru Rinpoche, who brought Buddhism to Bhutan.
In the Gelephu area, one can also find a variety of experiential activities such as rafting, bird watching, and a new tiger trail in Manas Park. The hospitality experience is part of the matter when the emphasis is on connection to culture, and therefore instead of luxury hotels – there is home hospitality and ecological camps.
In addition, it is a culinary and cultural paradise – in the old city of Gelephu you can find a variety of foods inspired by the diverse cultures of southern Bhutan. Also, the streets of the old city display murals by local artists and a heritage village located in the city displays the 13 traditional arts and crafts of the country: From basket weaving to Thangka painting.