Bhutan’s Department of Tourism, in collaboration with Bhutan’s Department of Immigration, has unveiled new passport entry visa and permit stamps to commemorate World Tourism Day 2023, celebrated on September 27, 2023.
The stamps incorporate Bhutan’s new national brand ‘Bhutan Believe’ and feature a dragon prominently in the design, a symbol deeply rooted in its cultural and religious traditions.
In Bhutanese folklore and mythology, the dragon is a prominent and revered symbol that represents protection, strength, and the spirit of Bhutan itself and Bhutan’s traditional name is ‘Drukyul’, which means ‘land of the thunder dragon’.
The stamps features uniquely Bhutanese ‘ornaments’ that reflect hand-painted architectural decoration, one of the 13 traditional crafts (or Zorig Chusum) that represent Bhutanese cultural identity.
“The objective was to create a passport stamp design that becomes a collectable item, that celebrates the start of a traveller’s journey at the moment they step into the Kingdom,” director general, Department of Tourism, Dorji Dhradhul, said.
The director of Bhutan’s Department of Immigration said the stamp is more than an entry mark, but a reflection of the nation’s rich tapestry of tradition and culture.
“With every imprint, we hope to share a piece of ‘Bhutan Believe’ with the world,” she said.
Bhutan launched its new national brand in September 2022, coinciding with the reopening of the kingdom after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new brand and identity were designed to inspire a new vision of the future for its citizens while reflecting Bhutan’s character and landscapes, history and ambitions: bold, vivid, richly storied and distinctive.
It offers a rallying cry to believe – in the nation’s capabilities, its values, its global contribution, its responsibilities, and its future.
Using traditional colours, a completely new graphic identity system was created, which draws on traditional Bhutanese iconography such as hand-painted architectural decoration, mythical animals, folklore and symbolism – all reimagined with boldness, sharpness and dynamism.
The vibrant brand identity has already been rolled out across the government and private sectors.
