With total international arrivals of some 1 million for the very first time in 2012, Myanmar’s tourist industry shifts into higher gear with an expected increase of up to 50 percent in 2013. Especially, the organizing of the SEA Games pushes the numbers in December 2013, while in 2014 tourist arrival to Myanmar as the last frontier to discover will surely continue to rise. But compared to neighboring Thailand with its expected 26 million tourists this year, Myanmar is still in its infancy to attract mass tourism.
Instead, Union tourism minister U Htay Aung is banking on a strict formula of a responsible tourism policy and led the development of the impressive Myanmar Tourism Master Plan, where 38 strategic projects are singled out for implementation, covering 2013-2020 in line with the Government’s reform strategies and economic liberalization. The goal of this master plan is to maximize tourism’s contribution to national employment and income generation, while ensuring that the social and economic benefits of tourism are distributed equitably. Thus, tourism is used to make Myanmar a better place to live in.
Although Myanmar possesses diverse and extensive cultural, natural, and historic assets, it has only just begun to develop its enormous tourism potential. Covering an area of 676,577 square kilometers, the country is the second largest in ASEAN and its northern and southern borders extend some 2,100 kilometers from the snow-capped mountains of the Himalaya to the pristine Myeik archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Also, Myanmar boasts a youthful population of 60 million people. In 2012, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was about US$900, the lowest in ASEAN.
As it works to promote economic growth and integration with ASEAN, Myanmar strongly supports regional co-operation in tourism and is an active member of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Program and the Ayeyarwady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy (ACMECS). These regional projects aim mainly to develop quality tourism products and services, strengthen human resources, and reduce barriers to travel.
While just recently four land cross-border checkpoints were upgraded for international tourists to enter Myanmar from Thailand, namely Tachileik-Mae Sot, Myawaddy-Mae Sot, Htee Khee-Sunaron, and Kawthoung-Ranong, overland entry was permitted to tourists from China and India with pre-arranged border passes. But most of the arrivals come by air to the gateways of Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, and Naypyitaw, and last not least to Mawlamyain in the southern part of the country. According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the top four Asian source markets in 2013 were Thailand, Japan, South Korea and China, while the top three European source markets were France, UK, and Germany. Traveler types comprised of Foreign Individual Travelers (FIT), followed by business travelers, tour package travelers, and social visa holders.
As of the middle of the year 2013, Myanmar had 826 licensed hotels with some 30,000 rooms. The total number of properties in key destinations is for Yangon 210, Mandalay 83, Bagan 76, Inle Lake and Taunggyi 61 and Naypyitaw 40. The construction of new hotels continues well into 2014. Additionally, the former Railway Company building in Yangon has been planned for a two-year redevelopment into another five-star hotel. In a recent press report from Bagan it was stated that more and more backpackers are sleeping between the myriad of ruins and temples, while others look for opportunities to spend the night in monasteries. Actually, such a development is not favorably seen by the authorities. Also, home stay tourism, practiced in other countries, is not well received in Myanmar.
While international air access to Myanmar is steadily growing, Myanmar registered its first ever low-cost carrier, Golden Myanmar Airlines, to enter the market at the beginning of this year. Operating out of Mandalay, the airline also expanded internationally via Yangon to Singapore and Bangkok. New routes will be added soon to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Furthermore, Thai-based Nok Air has successfully started Mae Sot-Mawlamyain and will extend to Yangon accordingly. Interesting to note are the services to the new capital Nay Pyi Taw from Bangkok by Bangkok Airways and Thai Air Asia.
Strong demand to visit Myanmar, also from USA, and current trends suggest that visitor arrivals will continue to rise sharply. Optimistic visitor forecasts for a high growth scenario, drawing on regional experience in the GMS, will see the number of 7.5 million in 2020 to include all land and air arrivals and assume 40-45 percent annual growth from 2013-2015, moderating to 20 percent from 2016-2020.
Also, growth in visitor spending is forecast to rise from an average of US$135 now to $170 in 2020, while the average length of stay will increase from the current seven days to eight days as more facilities and services are developed. Under such a high growth scenario, annual tourism receipts in 2020 would exceed US$10 billion.
New Tour Highlights
There are some new interesting tourism products, away from the mainstream tourist circle of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inlay Lake, which are the following (in alphabetical order):
1. Burma Road from Mandalay to Muse in Shan State and Ruili, Yunnan/China
2. Chaung Tha beach holidays by bus some five hours away from Yangon
3. Mrauk U in Rakhain State, which is accessible via the Kaladan River from Sittwe
4. Ngapali beach holidays in Rakhain State by air from Yangon or other places
5. Orcaella luxury cruise ship run by Oriental Express Company to discover the Chindwin River in the west of Myanmar
6. Oriental Ballooning Company in Mandalay during the high season from the end of October to March
7. Pandaw River Cruises between Bagan and Mandalay starting in February 2014
8. Putao in Kachin State for rafting, biking and trekking tours
9. Sailing tours in the Myeik Archipelago
10. Salween River boat trip between Mawlamyain and Hpa-an in Kayin State
11. Train ride from Mandalay to Lashio in Shan-State
12. Walking Tour of Yangon’s heritage architecture, starting at the historic Strand Hotel
New Tour Highlights
There are some new interesting tourism products, away from the mainstream tourist circle of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inlay Lake, which are the following (in alphabetical order):
1. Burma Road from Mandalay to Muse in Shan State and Ruili, Yunnan/China
2. Chaung Tha beach holidays by bus some five hours away from Yangon
3. Mrauk U in Rakhain State, which is accessible via the Kaladan River from Sittwe
4. Ngapali beach holidays in Rakhain State by air from Yangon or other places
5. Orcaella luxury cruise ship run by Oriental Express Company to discover the Chindwin River in the west of Myanmar
6. Oriental Ballooning Company in Mandalay during the high season from the end of October to March
7. Pandaw River Cruises between Bagan and Mandalay starting in February 2014
8. Putao in Kachin State for rafting, biking and trekking tours
9. Sailing tours in the Myeik Archipelago
10. Salween River boat trip between Mawlamyain and Hpa-an in Kayin State
11. Train ride from Mandalay to Lashio in Shan-State
12. Walking Tour of Yangon’s heritage architecture, starting at the historic Strand Hotel
source: Mizzima
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