Bhutan. Ultima Shangri-La, dittatura reazionaria o "theme-park" per turisti facoltosi?

Il blog Bridge to Bhutan regala una splendida "Introduzione al Bhutan", vero e proprio simbolo estremizzato di tante istanze che caratterizzano l'immaginario del "turismo sostenibile" che rifugge l'omologazione in una ricerca di presunti paradisi incontaminati e folkloristici.  

Di certo il Bhutan rappresenta prima di tutto, agli occhi di viaggiatori e attivisti occidentali, un "luogo dello spirito": un ricettacolo ed uno sfondo su cui si riflettono desideri, allucinazioni e sogni connessi all'altrove. Allo stesso tempo, leggendo la lunga serie di divieti, di proibizioni, di privazioni, di vincoli, rimane il dubbio che in fondo, al di là della retorica, ci troviamo di fronte ad una sorta di dittatura reazionaria - niente di così diverso dalla tanto bistrattata Corea del Nord.

Bhutan. This little-known Himalayan kingdom is the world’s last remaining Shangri-La.  This is an extraordinary country, unlike any on Earth, where traffic lights do not exist, buying cigarettes is illegal, the wrestling channel and MTV are banned, as well as Western-style billboards and plastic bags. [...] Up until 1960, Bhutan had been visited by only a handful of early British explorers and during the decade that followed the few foreigners permitted into the country were guests of the royal family. It was not until the coronation of the fourth king in 1974 that a hotel was built and the first group of paying tourists arrived. Today, Bhutan continues to embrace a strict policy of high-value, low-impact tourism intended to preserve their national culture by deterring the budget travelers and backpackers that have so profoundly altered neighboring countries such as Thailand and Nepal. Though there is no longer a limit to the number of tourists Bhutan permits each year, every non-Indian foreigner must pay a minimum of US$200 per day, making it one of the world’s most expensive countries to visit.  The Royal Government of Bhutan requires foreign visitors to travel with a prepaid and preplanned itinerary, led by a certified local guide.  The daily tariff includes all your accommodation, food, land transport within Bhutan, services of guides and porters, and entrance fees to cultural sights and programs.  Tourists can arrange their own itinerary and are not required to travel in a group, but what you will not find in Bhutan is backpacker-style independent travel.

Per quanto mi riguarda, il cuore del viaggio è la ricerca e l'esperienza della contaminazione.