Bhutan's Department of Tourism has issued revised guidelines governing familiarization trips for international travel industry professionals, with the updated procedures taking effect immediately.

The new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Familiarization — or FAM — Trips was published by the DoT Secretariat on Monday and applies to all department-certified tour operators and hoteliers operating within the country.

FAM trips allow international travel agents, including personnel from sales, product, and management functions, to visit Bhutan and experience its tourism offerings directly. The DoT uses such visits as a key instrument for building destination knowledge and supporting Bhutan's promotion in international markets.

According to the announcement, the revised SOP is intended to streamline the application process, improve coordination between visiting agents and licensed Bhutanese operators and hotels, and reduce approval timelines.

The department has directed all licensed tour operators and hoteliers to consult the updated guidelines, which have been made available through an official link on the DoT's channels. Inquiries are to be directed to the Marketing and Promotion Division of the Department of Tourism.

Bhutan, a small Himalayan kingdom that has long pursued a high-value, low-volume tourism model, charges international visitors a Sustainable Development Fee as part of its entry requirements.

The Bhutan government has positioned FAM trips as a mechanism for ensuring that overseas travel trade professionals have direct, firsthand familiarity with the country's tourism products before marketing them to prospective visitors.

No timeline was given for when the next round of FAM trips under the revised SOP would be scheduled.