LONGHAUL incentive buyers are becoming more interested in taking
groups to Myanmar, especially with clients who want new experiences in
the region, but issues such as access, visas and hotel capacity remain
significant barriers for some.
Joost de Meyer, CEO of US-based First Incentive Travel, told TTG Asia e-Daily:
“I definitely want to organise an incentive to Myanmar – not next year,
but certainly in the next few years. There is a lot of buzz about this
country in the US because it is not as overrun (by tourists) as other
destinations in that (region).”
Beyond easing the burden of travel for visitors, the government
should also organise familiarisation trips and join associations such as
SITE and MPI, he said.
The previously closeted South-east Asian nation has opened up
significantly in the past two years. Arrivals surged from around 800,000
in 2011 to more than one million last year, with the figure set to rise
by 50 per cent by year-end.
This boom in arrivals was in part helped by improved air access, said
Mark De Belie, owner of Act-Wise in Belgium, who took his first two
incentive groups to Myanmar last year.
“Previously we had to go through three flights from Belgium to reach
Myanmar, but today we can reach Myanmar with two flights,” he said.
“However, the destination is still going through transformation so it
may not be ready for large groups. If we need 2,000 rooms, Myanmar does
not have enough capacity.”
Hotels are also struggling to cope with the influx of tourists,
making the arrangement of incentives more difficult than in the past,
said Eric Moris, managing director of Belgium-based Business Pass, who
has been taking groups to the country for nine years.
“It’s becoming more difficult,” he said. “The country is more open
but...things are developing (and) hotels are not following (the positive
growth trend); they are not delivering.”
Meanwhile, Ashwani Gupta, managing partner of Dove Travels in India,
said Myanmar will not attract Indian incentive groups until it
simplifies the visa application process and does more to actively
promote the destination within the trade.
source: TTG Asia
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