• Burmese
Friday, June 13, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
31 °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

Tourism Industry Works to Educate as Foreign Visitors to Burma Rise

Zarni Mann by Zarni Mann
August 16, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Tourism Industry Works to Educate as Foreign Visitors to Burma Rise

Two giant Buddhist statues from the Win Sein Taw Ya Monastery in Mon State’s Mudon Township—an area that is still very much off the beaten track for visitors to Burma. (Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy)

5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Tourism industry stakeholders say awareness is key if Burma is to handle an expected influx of tourists—and the environmental and social impacts that they will bring—in a way that preserves the country’s rich natural and cultural heritage.

According to data compiled by Burma’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the number of tourists entering the country has risen from over 800,000 in 2011 to more than 900,000 last year. The ministry hopes to draw one million travelers to the country this year.

While upbeat about the added revenue the tourist influx will provide, local tour operators and tourism agencies say they do not want the country’s cultural heritage to be spoiled or subsumed by outside influences as the industry develops.

RelatedPosts

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
680
Conscription Extended for Life; Scams Shatter Tourism Dream; and More

Conscription Extended for Life; Scams Shatter Tourism Dream; and More

February 22, 2025
4.1k

“As we experience the many cultures brought in by tourists from around the world, we are widely aware of the negative impacts of tourism. There will be environmental impacts and cultural impacts as well,” said Tin Htun Aung, who runs a tour company based in Rangoon.

“We don’t want our country to be like our neighboring countries. The impacts are the concern of every citizen,” he added, citing Thailand as an example of a tourism model in which rampant sex tourism and an international reputation for wild nightlife had spoiled the cultural values of the country’s younger generations.

Government officials say the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is working to educate citizens about tourism’s darker side, but needs cooperation from civil society and local communities to get the message out.

“The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism has had a lot of workshops on this but I think that it is still on a small scale. We need active participation from civil society as well as from locals,” said Ye Htut, Burma’s deputy information minister. Ye Htut said educating Burmese society was vital to limit the growth of sex tourism, and child and human rights abuses, as well as to preserve traditional cultural mores.

“For the culture, in the age of globalization, we cannot force the people; we cannot enact laws like some countries do to restrict the people. Our approach must not [focus] on law enforcement but must take a social awareness approach. That is the best way [to preserve culture],” he said.

This year the government made foreigners’ access to Burma easier by allowing tourists to enter the country via overland border crossings with neighboring Thailand, China and India. The Ministry of Home Affairs also lifted a restriction on visits to the gemstone mining region of Mogok, Mandalay Division, in a move that has reportedly brought an increase in the number of gemstone traders and researchers to the area.

Data from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism indicates that most tourists from China and Thailand visit Burma on pilgrimages to the country’s various sacred Buddhist sites, but cultural tourism is increasingly seen as a draw for Western adventurers. The country’s largely unspoiled nature has the government and tour operators eager to promote ecotourism as well.

“Our county has diverse culture and scenic beauty unlike many other countries. As we move forward to integrate with Asean countries, we believe ecotourism could provide many benefits, not only to the industry but also to the country,” said Tin Htun Aung.

Ecotourism operators believe Burma’s relatively intact rainforests and remote mountainous regions—in which the cultures and traditions of ethnic inhabitants have remained largely unaffected by the homogenizing effects of globalization—are a particularly promising sell.

“If we move on to eco-tours, there will be impacts on that unspoiled nature and culture,” Tin Htun Aung said. “We need help from the government to make sure and set standards and rules to preserve it and to monitor whether the responsible people are obeying the rules or not.”

The flip side of the coin when it comes to Burma’s underdeveloped tourism industry is in the many logistical challenges.

“For investing in ecotourism, there are many requirements, especially in financing, manpower and capacity building. Cooperation from the government and local communities is vital as well,” Tin Htun Aung said.

Tour operators say they are not expecting ecotourism to be a major attraction for the Asian market and are putting the bulk of their hopes on the Western crowd.

“For the Asian market, it will be only for pilgrimages, so we are not hoping much for ecotourism. But in investment, I believe there will be more Asian investors coming to the country. However, these are always dependent on country’s economy and policies,” he added.

Although the number of tourists entering the country is on the rise, a lack of available accommodation in Burma remains a major challenge for tour companies.

Currently, Singapore is the biggest investor in Burma’s hotel industry, follow by Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Britain.

With the hotel shortage and growing tourist arrivals to Burma, fellow Asean countries are eyeing investments in the sector.

“Since Myanmar has just opened to the international community, more tourists will come to the country. Unfortunately there’s not enough accommodation,” said Sebastianus Sumarsono, the Indonesian ambassador to Myanmar. “This is how Indonesian entrepreneurs can tap Myanmar’s tourism market.”

On the other hand, the push to fill the gap between supply and demand for hotels in Burma has some worried about the environmental repercussions of unchecked development.

Other concerns center on how to best manage the country’s architectural heritage. The decision by the government to rent or sell some historical structures, like Rangoon’s High Court and Secretariat buildings, have sparked debate among historians, politicians and average Burmese citizens.

“If we want to turn these places into museums, you have to spend a lot of money. Government cannot do it alone. There is no foreign organization that will invest to run this kind of building. That’s why we have to give them to private investors. But, as with the Secretariat building, we will turn it over [to private investors] to make into a museum,” said Ye Htut.

“If someone wants it to be a museum, we are happy to do that even if the Yangon Heritage Trust is not receiving enough funding from donors. But you need to submit very good and sound the proposals,” he added.

If not handled properly, the majority of Burma’s people risk losing out on the benefits of the anticipated tourism boom, according to Christoph Amthor, a project manager of Burma Center Prague, which is educating locals and foreign tourists about responsible tourism.

“The biggest challenges are currently market concentration,” he added. “Small vendors and family businesses are pushed away by companies that seem to be backed by authorities. I think the situation reflects a general problem in Burmese society, namely a deep-rooted inequality of opportunities and a lack of ways that disenfranchised people can efficiently defend their rights.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Tourism
Zarni Mann

Zarni Mann

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
19.1k

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
15.7k

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
Sceptical British Firms ‘Staying Out of Burma Until After 2015’

Sceptical British Firms ‘Staying Out of Burma Until After 2015’

Army MP Halts Talks on Military Land-Grabs in Burma’s Parliament

Army MP Halts Talks on Military Land-Grabs in Burma’s Parliament

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

4 days ago
1.4k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

2 days ago
876

Most Read

  • Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Advances into Karenni State

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Reinforces Kyaukphyu as AA Nears China-Backed SEZ Hub

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

    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.