President orders new Bagan hotel zone project to avoid cultural zones

YANGON—President Thein Sein has directed hoteliers in Myanmar’s most popular tourist destination to construct a new hotel zone project in Bagan far from the cultural regions, according to the Ministry of Culture.

“The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism will have to cooperate closely in the extension of hotel zone projects in Bagan,” said Minister of Culture Aye Myint Kyu at a press conference held at the National Museum on Tuesday (March 18).

While visiting Bagan, Thein Sein told the Mandalay Regional Government Committee that extension of hotel facilities in the Bagan archaeological region must remain clear of cultural zones. Three locations in Bagan have already been designated ancient archaeological regions.

The Ministry of Culture will not allow permission for the construction of any buildings in the cultural zones.

One tenth of the more than two million tourists who visited Myanmar last year went to Bagan, making it one of the top tourist places in Myanmar, according to the Ministry of Culture.

The government had already planned to record in the World Heritage Status the four hotel zones which had been implemented in Bagan. Due to the increasing number of tourist arrivals and hotel shortages in Bagan, however, a new hotel zone project is being implemented there.

There are 77 hotels providing 2,386 rooms in Bagan, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

source: Eleven Myanmar

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