BANGKOK, 21 June 2013: 2015 will be a milestone for Myanmar when most
of the travel glitches will be smoothed out tourism leaders’ have
promised.
Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board, executive committee member for
tourism training, Phyu Phyu Mar, who represented the Ministry of Hotel
and Tourism at the Thailand Travel Mart said plans to reintroduce
visa-on-arrival for tourists would be resumed shortly.
“Ministry of Immigration and Population has to consider all aspects
including security and study the benefits a visa-on-arrival would yield
and whether it is worthwhile. But a review is due soon,” she said.
Visa difficulties rankle tourists who often have to waste up to a week waiting for an embassy to clear paperwork.
Although tourism is opening up, there has been no clear indicator
when the country will comply with the ASEAN requirement that all 10
member states should allow visa free entry for up to 14 days for ASEAN
region citizens.
That would be the most obvious concession to apply as AEC approaches
in 2015 when free trade and the free movement of labour is guaranteed
within the community.
The country offered business travellers a visa-on-arrival last year,
while a VOA for tourists was available for a short period in 2010. It
has since been suspended.
Also the government has tried to facilitate visas by offering online application through www.myanmarevisa.gov.mm, but it has faced obstacles.
Ms Phyu Phyu Mar said the service should be available by end of 2015 when the ASEAN Economic Community officially starts.
Even the visa-on-arrival that is in place for business visitors
requires a letter of invitation from a government department or
commercial enterprise. It is essentially a pre-processed visa that is
activated at the airport by immigration officials. It is not the
standard visa-on-arrival that allows visitors to complete all the
paperwork on site at the airport.
The most practical option is to apply at the nearest Myanmar embassy.
It takes up to a week but normally can be process in three working
days. However, it does not guarantee you can roam freely around the
country. Foreign visitors are allowed to go only to certain areas.
Ms Phyu Phyu Mar said the government would gradually add more
destinations to the list and by 2015 most of the country should be open.
“Recently the government opened up new destinations such as the
northern Chin State, Loikaw in Kaya State and Kalewa in Sagang
Division.”
To tackle the rapid growth of tourism since late 2011 facilities and human resources need to catch up.
Hanns Seidel Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Hotels
and Tourism and the Myanmar Tourism Board has drafted a Myanmar
Responsible Tourism Plan that will span five years to 2017.
The draft was present at the World Economic Forum on East Asia held in Nay Pyi Taw, 5 to 7 June.
According to official records, there are now 77 hotels in the
pipeline (10 in Yangon, around 700 rooms). The huge 800-room Shangri-la
Residence including two hotels as well as office and shop space will
open later this year. Shangri-la, Hilton, Accor and Best Western
international hotel chains are entering Myanmar. Currently there are 742
hotels countrywide.
This year, Myanmar expects 1.5 million visits up from around 1.06
million at the end of 2012. It projects visits will top 2.2 million in
2020.
source: TTR Weekly
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