Bhutan Receives 11 Honours at the 2026 South Asian Travel Awards

Bhutan received 11 honours at the 2026 South Asian Travel Awards, including its second consecutive Best Leading Heritage Destination title.

Bhutan received 11 honours at the 2026 South Asian Travel Awards, including the Best Leading Heritage Destination title for the second consecutive year.

Seven Bhutanese hotels, resorts and hospitality representatives collected 10 additional awards across categories covering heritage, design, location, food and beverage, environmental practices and emerging leadership.

The results were announced during the 10th edition of the regional awards, held in the Maldives on 8 October. The competition includes tourism businesses and professionals from Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Heritage Destination Title Retained

Bhutan was named Best Leading Heritage Destination for a second year, following its first win in the category at the 2025 South Asian Travel Awards in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The category reflects the role that Bhutan’s historic fortresses, monasteries, traditional architecture, religious festivals and living cultural practices play in its tourism sector.

Many of the country’s most visited heritage sites remain active centres of government, religion and community life. Dzongs, for example, are fortified complexes that often contain both district administrative offices and monastic institutions.

The award offers regional recognition for this heritage-based tourism model. 

Bhutanese Properties Receive 10 Awards

Five of the seven recognised properties are in Paro, the western district containing Bhutan’s only international airport and several of its most visited cultural sites.

Kaachi Grand in Paro received awards in two categories:

• Leading City Hotel, 40 Rooms and Above

• Leading Airport Hotel

Zhiwaling Heritage, also in Paro, received two Silver awards:

• Leading Designer Hotel or Resort

• Leading Heritage Hotel or Resort

The property is known for incorporating Bhutanese architectural and artistic traditions into its design. General Manager Rinzin Lhamo said the hotel would continue working towards Gold recognition in future editions. 

Dhumra Farm Resort in Punakha received recognition in two categories:

• Leading Boutique Hotel or Resort

• Leading Eco-Friendly Hotel or Resort

The resort operates in Guma Gewog, a subdistrict of Punakha in west-central Bhutan. Its accommodation and farm-based experiences focus on local food production and the surrounding rural landscape.

Awards Reflect Different Parts of Bhutan’s Hotel Sector

Hotel Druk in Thimphu was recognised in the Leading Food and Beverage Hotel or Resort category. Thimphu is Bhutan’s capital and the country’s main administrative and commercial centre.

Dawa at Hilltop by Heeton in Paro received an award in the Leading Hill Resort or Hotel category.

Le Méridien Paro, Riverfront was recognised in the Leading Riverfront Hotel or Resort category. The hotel stands beside the Pa Chhu, the river running through Paro Valley.

The awards cover different aspects of hospitality rather than producing a single overall ranking. A riverfront or hill hotel category assesses different qualities from categories focused on food, heritage or environmental practices.

They should therefore be understood as category-based industry recognition rather than a complete comparison of Bhutan’s accommodation sector.

Bhutan’s 2026 SATA Results at a Glance

Young Bhutanese Hotelier Recognised

Tshering Phuntsho, founder and managing director of Rema Resort in Paro, received the Outstanding Young Hotelier award.

The category, open to hospitality professionals under the age of 40, was introduced for the 2026 competition alongside a new Outstanding Chef award.

Tshering Phuntsho was one of two Bhutanese nominees shortlisted in the young hotelier category. The recognition adds an individual leadership award to the nine received by Bhutanese properties.

How the Awards Were Decided

The 2026 results combined assessments by an international jury with online public voting.

Jury evaluations accounted for 60 percent of the final score. Public voting contributed the remaining 40 percent.

The SATA jury visited Bhutan in June to assess nominated hotels, resorts and tourism businesses. Evaluations considered areas including service standards, facilities, guest experience, design, sustainability, innovation and operational performance.

The awards programme received hundreds of nominations from across the six participating countries.

Paro Accounts for Most of Bhutan’s Awards

Paro accounted for five of the seven Bhutanese properties represented among the recipients.

The concentration reflects Paro’s central position in Bhutan’s tourism industry. Most international visitors enter the country through Paro International Airport, while the valley is also home to Paro Dzong, the National Museum and Taktsang Monastery, commonly known as Tiger’s Nest.

Thimphu and Punakha each had one recognised property. Together, the results show that Bhutan’s regional hospitality profile extends across city hotels, heritage properties, farm-based accommodation and internationally branded resorts.

The list does not represent every leading hotel in Bhutan. Participation depends on nomination and entry into the awards, meaning properties that did not receive an award may not necessarily have competed.

Bhutan Considers Hosting the 2027 Awards

Kuenzang Thinley, chair of the SATA programme in Bhutan, said discussions were underway for the country to host the 2027 awards.

No venue or date has been confirmed. The proposal therefore remains at the discussion stage.

Hosting the event would bring tourism and hospitality representatives from across South Asia to Bhutan. It would also give the country an opportunity to present its hotels, cultural heritage and tourism policies directly to regional industry professionals.