Carmen Roberts of BBC Fast Track visited Bhutan and found the happiest country in Asia.
Gross National Happiness was first outline by the 4th King of Bhutan in the 1970s. In the video, Carmen outlines 4 pillars of Gross National Happiness:
- Good governance
Bhutan government works closely with stake holders to implement new policy.
- Sustainable socio-economic development
Equity for men and women is a priority in the national agenda. It is mandatory for hotel to hire qual number of workers from both genders.
- Cultural preservation
It is mandatory to wear traditional dress, Gho for mean and Kira for women, for any official and office function. Visitors would be able to see locals in their dress going around daily on their traditional dress.
- Environmental conservation
70% of Bhutan is covered by forest. A national bill require at least 60% of the land to be covered by forest at any point of time. Some of our travelers have noted that they have never seen such a expanse forest cover in any other country
Some of our travelers may recognize the man who was holding the Bhutan flag in the video. He is Ugyen Tenzin who has recently joined us as a permanent driver. Ugyen was previously a security personnel in the Paro International Airport.
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Druk Asia and Carmen Roberts taping from the roof the space control building.
Carmen Roberts visited Bhutan on 23rd June 2013. She was hosted by Taj Tashi, Uma Paro and Uma Punakha. Druk Asia provided the local guide, logistic and paper permit for filming in Bhutan. Carmen Roberts was guided by Bhutan Senior Cultural Guide Ugyen Tshewang.
You can follow Carmen at @carmenlroberts.
You can read more about Gross National Happiness here.
