Tourism in Myanmar
Tourism in Burma (Myanmar) is a slowly developing sector. Although Burma possesses great tourist potential and attractions in many fields, much of the industry remains to be developed. Also, the number of visitors to Burma are comparatively small compared to her neighbours - even outpaced by Laos. This is primarily due to its current political situation.
Tourism in Burma has been developed mainly by the government, but many private enterprises do exist, catering to a wide range of tourists.
Since 1992, the government has encouraged tourism in the country. However, fewer than 750,000 tourists enter the country annually.[1] Aung San Suu Kyi has requested that international tourists not visit Burma. The junta's forced labour programmes were focused around tourist destinations which have been heavily criticised for their human rights records.
Tourism has been promoted by advocacy groups as a method of providing economic benefit to Burmese civilians, and to avoid isolating the country from the rest of the world. Voices for Burma, a pro-democracy advocate group, states, "We believe that small-scale, responsible tourism can create more benefits than harm. So long as tourists are fully aware of the situation and take steps to maximise their positive impact and minimise the negatives, we feel their visit can be beneficial overall. Responsible tourists can help Burma primarily by bringing money to local communities and small businesses, and by raising awareness of the situation worldwide."[2]
Regardless, a majority of advocacy groups discourage tourism. Any tourist visit will provide some income to the military junta. Even disregarding the obviously governmental fees, Burma’s Minister of Hotels and Tourism Maj-Gen Saw Lwin recently admitted that the government receives a significant percentage of the income of private sector tourism services. Not to mention the fact that only a very small minority of impoverished ordinary people in Burma ever see any money with any relation to tourism.[3]
As for tourists wishing to see Burma’s problems for themselves in order to raise awareness, tourism offers very scant opportunities. Much of the country is completely off-limits to tourists, and the military very tightly controls interactions between foreigners and the people of Burma. They are not to discuss politics with foreigners, under penalty of imprisonment, and in 2001, the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board issued an order for local officials to protect tourists and limit "unnecessary contact" between foreigners and ordinary Burmese people.[4]
Tourist attractions
Mandalay
Mon State
Rakhine State
Shan State
Other beaches
Ecotourism
Politics
Burma's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi has, in the past, asked for tourism to be boycotted. However, she has not asserted this view recently. This might be due to public opinion being in favour of tourism. The majority of democracy advocates demand a complete boycott of tourism to Burma. Other pro-democracy activists, such as Ma Thanegi, advocate small scale tourism, and careful spending.
Certain tour books, such as Lonely Planet, cover Burma, stating that it provides balanced information and spending methods to get the money into the hands of the people, while some, such as Rough Guides, refuse to publish on Burma. Most Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the Western world recommend travel agencies and citizents not to engage in tourism activities in Burma.
References
- ^ Henderson, Joan C. "The Politics of Tourism in Myanmar" (PDF). Nanyang Technological University. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
- ^ Voices For Burma's tourism policy http://www.voicesforburma.org/
- ^ http://www.tayzathuria.org.uk/bd/2006/12/24/re.htm
- ^ http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/action_holiday.html
External links
- Tourism Myanmar
- Myanmar Travel Information
- Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board
- Ecotourism Destinations in Myanmar
- List of Travel and Tour Companies in Myanmar from Official Myanmar Industrial and Commercial Business Directory
