Editing Thimphu (section)

===Tourism===
Initially, when Bhutan was opened up for tourism in 1974, the Government-owned Tourism Corporation was set up in Thimphu to encourage and organise individual and group tours to destinations of cultural importance in Bhutan, concentrating on Buddhism, [[weaving]], birds, nature and trekking, and any special package. This organization was privatised in 1994 and named as Bhutan Tourism Development Corporation. The corporation also owns and manages hotels and tourist lodges at all major tourist centres in Bhutan. It has its own fleet of cars and also interpreters in several international languages to cater to tourists from various countries.<ref name=Tourism>{{cite web|url= http://www.kingdomofbhutan.com/travel/travel_.html|title=Tourism|access-date=2010-06-09|publisher=Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd}}</ref>

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| image1 = Bhutan kitchen restaurant with phallic painting on the wall.jpg
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| footer = Left: Bhutan Kitchen. Right: [[Hotel Dragon Roots]].
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Thimphu does not have a vibrant night life but the number of nightclubs and pool rooms for young people is growing quickly.<ref name="Pommaret, 164">Pommaret, p. 164</ref>

[[File:Streetlife in Thimphu-Buthan-feve.jpg|thumb|right|Streetlife in Thimphu]]
The main street, Norzim Lam, contains a number of shops and small hotels and restaurants. The Bhutan Textile Museum, the National Library, the Chang Lam Plaza and the sports field are buildings of note around this street area.<ref>Pommaret, p. 165</ref>  Near the main square is a clock, decorated with dragons, which is now an open-air theatre site and art and craft stores and the Tashi supermarket. In the building in front of the old cinema there is a Chinese restaurant and trekking stores.

The Drentoen Lam street is located off the main street and contains the post office and bank and administrative buildings and several music stores. Doebum Lam road runs parallel to the main Norzim Lam and also contains the Chamber of Commerce, Department of Tourism and the Ministry of Trade buildings and the odd bakery. In 2006, a new shopping district opened between Doebum Lam and Norzim Lam which includes the Zangdopelri shopping complex, the Phuntsho Pelri Hotel and Seasons, an Italian restaurant.<ref>Pommaret, p. 169</ref>