The challenges of Tourism in Burma

Last year one million people travelled to once closed-off Burma, an increase of 50 percent on the year before.

In the past people had concerns about the ethics of travelling in a country run by a military dictatorship.

But now Burma is on the road to reform and it has opened its doors to those seeking adventure.

However with hoards of tourists flocking to discover one of the last untouched parts of Asia, the country's ancient infrastructure is struggling to cope.

Walk down Rangoon’s streets, explore the temples at Bagan and you will now find hoards of foreign tourists.

Until recently they were reluctant to visit Burma, concerned about travelling in a country under military rule.

Now, however, they see the country as one of the last Asian frontiers.

Over the last year the number of tourists coming into Burma has doubled.

But this has put a huge strain on the already crumbling infrastructure. The lack of hotel rooms in Rangoon is a problem – and they are expensive compared to their Asian neighbors - the cheapest being around US $50 a night.

Kyi Thein Ho is the head of secretary from Myanmar Tourism Federation.

“No matter how the Ministry specifies fix [hotel] prices, the business owners are increasing the prices to cover their [previous] losses while they have a chance. So basically it’s about Supply and Demand and we can’t force them to comply. However, one thing we have to say is, the hotels need to consider whether the service they provide actually worth the price.”

Transportation is another problem for visitors thinking of travelling in Burma.

The traffic in Rangoon is chaotic.

And flights and buses are expensive says U Tin Tun Aung, General Secretary of Union of Myanmar Travel Association.

“For visitors who had never been in Burma, they’ll just assume; “So this is how much things costs here”, and be fine with it. But for those who’ve been before, they realise the price is now very different from usual and they’ll think; “It gets expensive this year.”

To handle the problems in the hotel sector, new strategies are carried out.

“At the moment, hotels still have to depend on tour agencies to get visitors. We have requested that they fix accommodation with local-own hotels, not just the well-known ones so that they can get attention. There are local-own hotels both in Rangoon and Mandalay and we urge to also fix accommodations at them. And we have to advice these [local-own] hotels to standardise themselves capable of serving foreign visitors.”

The more tourists that come in, the more services and well-trained staff are needed in hotels and throughout the tourism industry.

And now the Ministry of Myanmar Hotel and Tourism is conducting training for those purposes. Meanwhile, unregistered tour guides are another issue.

Daw Thanda is one of the tour guides.

“There are over 3000 licensed tour-guides and at the moment they are facing tons of difficulties. The biggest one being those who don’t have licenses are still taking tours, causing those with licenses to go jobless”

Burma has a lot of potential.

It’s unchanged culture and rich, unexplored landscape.

However lack of transportation on decent roads means it is cut off from those seeking adventure.

“In northern Chin state areas such as Hakha, Falam and the Reed Lake, there is no comprehensive transportation system or accommodation for the [tourists] to visit. There are no daily flights to get there. But it’s possible to improve those. Such as the Valley and the Naga Mountain Range can also be developed.”

In December Burma will host the SEA Games. Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to arrive.

The government is trying to improve hotels, telecommunication, and other infrastructure. Hotels owners are also trying to improve their sector.

The Games will be the tourist industry’s biggest challenge yet.