Tour Operators’ Welfare Scheme objective is to give back something to the very communities that our business depends upon. This scheme is also to uplift the positive image of the tour operators.

Scope of the Scheme:

• Voluntary donations of anything (viz. pens, pencils, papers, notepads, computers, chairs, tables, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents, cloths, books, generators, money etc…) that is (re)useable and useful to the communities by the tour operators.
• ABTO will maintain inventory of things received.
• ECM to decide which community-ies are eligible on a regular basis.

As an offshoot of the Responsible Tourism Workshop on 13th December 2006 and the consequent meetings held on 24th January 2007 and 7th February 2007 among the different stakeholders (ABTO, DoT, TOs and hoteliers) the following will be carried out during the year 2007: -
Beautiful Bhutan.

Beautiful Bhutan’s immediate goal is to engage everyone in sharing the responsibility of cleaning up the trash and improving our cities and local communities. The long term goal is to change the attitude and behavior of our people so that keeping our environment clean, beautiful and litter-free becomes a way of life for every Bhutanese citizen.

Some of the initial activities are:

• Website development and integrate with ABTO website
• Formation of working group and increase of membership base
• Deliberation during the 7th AGM on fund raising and on ideas already conceived
• Mass cleaning campaign on 10th March (before Paro Tsechu) in Paro
• Garbage management awareness during Paro Tsechu