Page 27 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL7

Peace, stability,sound infrastructure, educated labour force and friendly disposition of the Bhutanese people contribute toa favourable investment environmentdevelopment. The present king, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, has captured GNH even more succinctly as “development with values”.You might wonder: have we reached happiness yet? We have not reached it yet but the government and our policies always try to create an environment in which people can realistically pursue happiness in their own way. As we move towards the 2015 development agenda, this has found a lot of resonance inter- nationally, and recently we had a meeting at the UNESCAP Asia- Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development.What suggestions would you give someone looking to invest in Bhutan?The government has always welcomed FDI. Investments in Bhutanare treated as equal to any Bhutanese entities. We have a one-stop clearance system to expedite an easy process. Areas of investment that we welcome include education, tourism, health, infrastructure and hospitality. In fact, it’s very generous in terms of hospitality. If you put up five-star hotels or resorts you have 100% ownership, and 74% if your property is four-star.In terms of production and manu- facturing, we have areas of agro- based production: organic farming, biotechnology, fisheries, poultry, floriculture, health food, animal feed, apiculture, honey production, horticul- ture. Investment in manufacturing, building materials, computers and electronics are also welcome.And of course, we have a small negative list, like any country. We do not permit casinos and gambling activities as they go against ourculture and traditions.I encourage entrepreneurs andbusinesses here to go to Bhutan and see for themselves to explore possibilities. For us, the businesses that we invite have to be successful and it is our responsibility and to our benefit to make sure these businesses take root, prosper and grow. Peace, stability, sound infrastructure, educated labour force and friendly disposition of the Bhutanese people contribute to a favourable investment environment. Do not hesitate to contact us at the embassy in Bangkok any time if anyone has further queries.Elite+ 25