on the Wings Ofthe Dragon: Iv

Taking Tourism To The Top - a very catchy slogan. But for theslogan to be translated into reality, it needs a vehicle to ride on.To be more precise, the industry needs to ride on another evencatchier slogan - On The Wings Of The Dragon. And thereis where it hits a cul-de-sac.

The journey ends even before itbegins. Taking Tourism To The Top is a non-starter; unless thecontrolling interest - the government - sheds the accountant'smentality and begins to get a grasp of the pivotal role thenational flag carrier must play in the tourism industry's journeyto the top.Druk Air is key to the success of the tourism industry. OnThe Wings Of The Dragon must ride the tourism industry,including every one of its ancillary services. Like His Majestysaid in his 111th National Day Speech;'If, in the next 10 to 15years, we achieve all our national objectives, the credit will goto our public servants. However, if we fail, it will mean that thepublic servants have failed.'In the same vein if the tourism industry soars to the top, thecredit will go to the Druk Air but if it fails to do so, the blamemust go entirely to the carrier as well.Bringing Druk Air into the DHI fold was a clear case of missingthe forest for the trees. DHI is a conglomerate of commercialentities whose sole mandate is to generate profit. By the verynature of its function, the Druk Air is a breed apart - fromother entities that go to make the DHI group.

The Druk Airhas a responsibility that is at a higher plane than those of otherDHI...