• Burmese
Sunday, June 22, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Burma’s Tourism Industry Struggles to Keep Up With Surging Visitor Numbers

Kyaw Hsu Mon by Kyaw Hsu Mon
August 18, 2014
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Burma’s Tourism Industry Struggles to Keep Up With Surging Visitor Numbers

Foreign tourists sightsee at Shwe Indein Pagoda near Shan State’s Inle Lake. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

8.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — The number of tourists coming to Burma looks set to exceed the government’s prediction of 3 million this year, but the industry is still struggling to meet visitors’ expectations, according to industry experts.

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism announced last month that more than 1.6 million people visited the country in the first seven months of 2014, up from 1.1 million in the same period last year.

“I expect that the number of tourist arrivals will reach the government’s expectation of 3 million this year as 50 percent of the target has already been reached,” Phyo Wai Yar Zar, the chairman of Myanmar Tourism Marketing.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

June 13, 2025
1.8k
Shattered Lives, Lost Treasures: Traveling in Myanmar’s Quake Zone

Shattered Lives, Lost Treasures: Traveling in Myanmar’s Quake Zone

April 11, 2025
2.4k
Thai Private Sector Urges Crackdown on Illegal Foreign-Owned Businesses

Thai Private Sector Urges Crackdown on Illegal Foreign-Owned Businesses

March 3, 2025
682

A new e-visa system is likely to boost visitor numbers even further, he said. From Sept. 1, visitors can apply for and pay for tourist visas online, avoiding lines at Burmese Embassies abroad.

“It will be much easier for the potential visitors to plan their trips to Myanmar,” Phyo Wai Yar Zar said.

Tourism has boomed since the Burmese government began political and economic reforms, and the number of visitors only topped 1 million for the first time in 2012. But the industry has struggled to keep up, and hotel rooms remain expensive due to short supply.

But as well as falling short in terms of capacity, local hotels have been criticized for providing service that doesn’t meet international standards.

“In service management, the objective is not just to maximize profits; the ultimate aim is to satisfy the customer and keep them as your patrons for as many years as possible,” Phyo Wai Yar Zar added.

Maung Maung, chairman of the World Quest International travel and tour agency, said tour operators had trouble explaining to customers that paying high room rates—often US$300 a night—does not guarantee good service in Burma.

“Three-star hotels demand five-star room rates, but they don’t offer many services,” he said, “not only in Rangoon, also in Mandalay, Inle and Bagan too.”

Maung Maung also said that this year visitor numbers were receiving a boost Burma’s chairmanship of Asean, which means hosting hundreds of meetings involving foreign delegates, as well as the recent Unesco World Heritage listing of three ancient Pyu cities.

But reaching the government’s target of 5 million visitors next year might prove difficult if the poor service and high prices are not addressed, Maung Maung said.

Jef Tupas, a Filipino journalist who visited Rangoon last year, said the options for tourists do not compare favorably with those in the Philippines.

“There is more to be done for Yangon to make it more appealing to tourists,” he said.

“Hotels are expensive and there is nothing much to see around Yangon. But I think the Burmese people are the number [one] tourist attraction. They are friendly, happy and accommodating.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Tourism
Kyaw Hsu Mon

Kyaw Hsu Mon

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck
Burma

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck

by The Irrawaddy
February 6, 2024
19.2k

U Kyaw Lwin ran his casino resort on the visa-free island for more than 10 years before facing arrest in...

Read moreDetails
In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’
Burma

In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’

by The Irrawaddy
June 25, 2024
15.8k

After capturing Thandwe Airport, the Arakan Army is just steps away from Myanmar’s most valuable beach and the crony-owned resorts...

Read moreDetails
Touting Holidays in a Flooded Warzone; Praising Savior China; and More
Junta Watch

Touting Holidays in a Flooded Warzone; Praising Savior China; and More

by The Irrawaddy
October 5, 2024
13.3k

Also this week, the regime launched its pre-election census, and unveiled a flood relief budget dwarfed by military spending as...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Travel Sector Mocks Junta Tourist Claim
Burma

Myanmar Travel Sector Mocks Junta Tourist Claim

by The Irrawaddy
September 30, 2023
7.8k

Regime chief Min Aung Hlaing told a gathering on Wednesday that more than 600,000 tourists had visited Myanmar this year.

Read moreDetails
Junta Minister Makes Surreal Pitch for War-Torn Myanmar as Global Tourism Destination
Burma

Junta Minister Makes Surreal Pitch for War-Torn Myanmar as Global Tourism Destination

by Maung Kavi
January 9, 2025
6.1k

Amid the spreading civil war and rising urban crime, Mya Tun Oo called on junta government agencies to market Myanmar...

Read moreDetails
War-Torn Myanmar to Entice Tourists With Visas on Arrival
Business

War-Torn Myanmar to Entice Tourists With Visas on Arrival

by The Irrawaddy
September 14, 2023
5.7k

Chinese, Indian tourists will be the first to benefit from the pilot project, but tour operators say conflict is a...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Press Council to Meet Monthly With Information Minister

Press Council to Meet Monthly With Information Minister

Observers Say Burma’s Census ‘Successful’—Except in Arakan State

Observers Say Burma’s Census ‘Successful’—Except in Arakan State

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

2 days ago
896
The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

3 days ago
662

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Residents of Myanmar Ruby Hub Speak Out as TNLA Mining Takes Toll

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.