Burmese Language
Burma’s tourism boom hits budget travellers
An influx of diplomatic and business delegations into Burma is threatening the sustainability of its tourism industry by shooting up prices and squeezing out budget travellers, local experts have warned.
The sudden increase in visitors is becoming a major problem for the tourism industry, which is not big enough to accommodate them, a Rangoon-based official from the Union of Myanmar Travel Association told DVB.
The price of accommodation has sky-rocketed by up to 300%, leaving budget travellers and regular tourists at a distinct disadvantage.
“There are foreign state delegations, such as the British PM recently, arriving almost every day and since they have a big budget, they would pay US $200 or $300 for accommodation,” explained the official, who wished to remain anonymous.
“It is the same with business delegations; bidding for rooms at big hotels in Rangoon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw. This also makes rates at small hotels go up and destabilises tour prices.”
Rapid fluctuations could also harm the social sustainability of Burma’s tourism industry by further enriching the elite cronies running most of the country’s luxury hotels.
“In popular tourist areas, inflation, the lack of tourism infrastructure and large-scale development projects rarely benefits all, but rather only enriches a few,” explained tourism expert Andrea Valentin in a recent DVB op-ed.
A recent Reuters report revealed that a growing number of military-backed cronies, including business tycoons Tay Za and Zaw Zaw, are setting their sights on the tourism industry as Burma’s next investment frontier.
Even US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “stayed at the Thingaha, a crony-owned hotel in Myanmar’s [Burma’s] crony-built capital city of Naypyitaw,” said the report.
Hotel room prices have raised concern within the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, which sources say has stepped in to mediate the situation. It is still unclear what strategy the government intends to pursue.
Currently, there are around 25,000 rooms available in 731 hotels across Burma. But this is not enough to accommodate the hoards of visitors arriving every day. Poor hotel services, insufficient tour guides and an unreliable transportation system are additional challenges for the struggling industry.
In 2011, over 800,000 tourists visited Burma, an increase of 30% from the previous year. The Pacific Asia Travel Association has predicted that Burma this will increase a further 25% in the year 2012.
Tags: rangoon, tourism, travel
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Quickly build a tourist cities near tourist attraction with basic necessities such as, clean bed, toilets, eating houses, coffee shops, banks, transport facilities, road, etc. for those who can meet the requirements. Train the young people to adopt the tourist culture and asssiminate them fast. Burma needs these facilities and tourists to go for even more advance standing.
The question is can any organization do it fast with or without govt help ?
Never ever depend on tourism as one of top income generators unless you take Great Pleasure at large scale and massive cultural changes that generate increasing number of conflicts in your country. Consequences are diverse. Education is first, second and third!
Think deeply, widely, open to all information, dimensions, views, to all peoples. Don’t connect with only a small group of whoever they are.
Education and Physical and Mental Health of Citizens First – only after that tourism may grow naturally but slowly in consistence with the coping capacity of natural and cultural conservation.
Don’t use the country and citizens for your own benefits.
When governmental and business travelers occupy Burma, this surely will lead to rising prices for “normal” tourists as me. As well you can see that in other countries prices even for the home population will rise much faster than their income. I hope Burmese people will be able to stand the survive the new attack of western and eastern capitalists and investors. The rich Burmese certainly become more rich anyway. They all love Burma for its low cost workers. I am quite afraid wether the Burmese people can afford this. Lots of Metta from Germany
Don’t worry. Dr.Khin Shwe,Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board (MTB)is now empowered by The Ministry to take care that matter.
Education and knowledge base development are the key for success of the country in this fast pace world. Things with good and bad in certain portion mixed will be there. Higher people have a height problem and lower people have their own sinking problem. We are facing rising costs everywhere, we like it or not. More people with limited resources to feed and rising expectation of the people, this is unavoidable. Burma has no birth control measure in place and rate of population growth is not being checked or favoured by the government. This may be one of the reason Burma can not move fast and quality of life is limited. Stop for a moment and think of it carefully. In late 60s, population was below 17 millions, now 60 Millions in 2012. Do we produce more foods and more GDP outputs in a real term compare with the population growth. Government should make a decision for a reasonable population growth. Now that we will have better health services, good education, good living conditions, more people will live longer than before. How are we plan to look after them now and soon and infuture. Having more power black outs, combine with no social supports or other means of entertainment, we will see a population explodes in a near future. Burma should limit its population target to no more than 70 M in 10 to 20 years for sustainable development. The land can not be increased, The forest are depleting faster and rivers are drying. We must move the right direction faster, if not with a world record time.