January 9, 2017
Being
a country in the ASEAN region, Myanmar has an area of 261228 square miles,
consisting of the national population of over 50 million.
The country with
landslides of great beauty is surrounded by mountains, islands and coastal
areas. Likewise the neighboring countries, it abounds with cultural heritages
and religious edifices. It has many ancient pagodas, stupas, shrines and
monasteries. Yet, sorrowfully enough, such a beautiful and pleasant country is
found to have been in miserable states in fetching the national income from the
sector of hotel and tourism industry, compared to that of the regional
countries.
This
made me glance at the parts of the performances being carried out by the State
Government. Tourism industry is in fact the 3rd biggest smokeless industry of
the nation. For the multi-sector development the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism
is leading to implement the tasks. Major project for tourism industry
[2013-2018] will be adopted as the road map on the development of tourism
industries. For all departments and organizations to join in the campaign
“Policy on participation of social societies in Myanmar tourism industry,” had
already been laid down.
National
strength
“Sustainable
Tourism a Tool for Development,” is the theme for this year. With a view to
sustainable development implementations are being made in the following 5
sectors.
1.
economic sector - to become a developed economic sector
2.
social sector - t o create job opportunities with favorable conditions and to
bring about giving authority to the local populace
3.
natural environment - t o control climate changes and to conserve natural
environment
4.
cultural sector - to safeguard material and non-material cultural
heritage cultures
5.
peace sector - to essentially bring about peace for the national progress
In
fact, aims, objectives and policies the government is practically implementing
are excellent. Yet, compared to regional countries, income from tourism
industry of Myanmar’s hotel and tourism industry stood next to last, followed
by Brunei and Laos, according to the statistics in 2016, fetching $ 1.6
billion. Even Cambodia fetched US $ 3 billion in that period. Thailand stood
first, fetching US $ 44.6 billion. Why did not Myanmar hotel and tourism
industry succeed? It wholly depends upon the facts concerning to which extent
aims and policies can be successfully implemented and how much studies can be
made into the bottom level.
Being
fond of travelling the author did go about in Shan State and in Central Myanmar
frequently. I myself welcomed the Visit Myanmar Year held in 1996, making trips
occasionally in my leisure hours until now. Very recently, I paid a visit to
Bagan, Nyaung-U and Poppa regions during the October School Holidays, after a
long hiatus of several years. And, unexpectedly I got to Ngwe-Saung beach on
the Full-Moon Day of Tazaungmone. Not long before, some of my close friends
returned from Malaysia and Thailand, sharing their knowledge of foreign trips
to me. While enjoying vicarious knowledge I am itching to make suggestions
about Myanmar tourism.
Higher
prices
To
put it in detail, as regards local tourism there will take a few pages. To
briefly say about it, extension of roads cannot be made yet even in the
frequently visited trips such as Ngwe-Saung and Chaung-Tha. Due to rough ground
and narrow roads it takes too much time to get to the destinations. There are
not enough lodging houses and hotels there. Hotels take too much prices for
lodging but cannot give satisfactory services. Due to unavailability of rental
of double-room, I myself had to hire a family room for 4 persons for one lakh
kyats per day. In the immediate vicinity of the beach, sanitation was
unsatisfactory. Eateries and restaurants are also demanding too much prices for
cuisines they serve. In Nyaung-U some famous restaurants run short of food for
guests, so they rush to food-stalls opened along roadside, after 8 pm.
Sea-breeze
to breathe in
As
for the visitors who stay for a night at the hotel nearby the beach, they can
enjoy breathing in the sea breeze. Although speedboats, cycles and horses are
available, it is too expensive to hire them. No foreigners apart from local
visitors hire them for enjoyment from riding. In the day-time electricity is
unavailable. Entertainment programs are not seen made. Failing that,
unnecessary occurrences can happen.
Street
food stalls
According
to my colleagues who recently returned from foreign trips to Bangkok and
Malaysia, their stock reply to my enquiries is “Totally different in
everything.” Thailand’s tourism fetched foreign income so much so that for
their good services and their foods’ cheap prices and delicacy. The city
abounds with street food stall. Hotels are also elite. The Emerald Pagoda is
daily over-crowded with pilgrims all day long. Entertainment programmes are
ubiquitous, taking a lot of people’s money. Everywhere we go in that country
they take money from us whereas in our country every traveller can go about any
places just paying the fees for the entrance into the zone.
Abundance
of beautiful beaches
Along
the 1800-mile-long coast there are beaches of great beauty. But, its amounts
are only a few. Easily accessible beaches such as Ngapali, Chaungtha,
Kantharyar, Ngwesaung and Setse are well-known. Due to efforts of local people
some beaches and islands became known to the public in a few years ago. For
example Goringyi island was targeted to implement as a hotel zone as for the
department, due to the local people’s effort. In addition, there are many
wonderful and beautiful islands in Dawei. Recently-known island is the Macked
Island, where even sea mariners can call at the island. It has many
characteristics. Travellers can go up by snookeling. There are nature-like
bangalos. Also are Done Island, Done Waterfall, Natthameehla island, Hnaphethla
island, Natthamee Yedwin island, Lay Island, Smart island, Hgnetthike island
and Pearl island to visit.
Ancient
cultural heritage in abundance
Visitors
coming to Myanmar are not solely focusing on ancient cultural heritages. Some
visit here to enjoy natural beauties of Myanmar, mountains, islands and
beaches. Some people want to go up to hilly regions, with some just for
merry-making. Some come here to study religious or cultural traditions. Myanmar
has myriads of gifts of nature. Also are pleasant
cities on hilly regions, mountain ranges of cool weather and pleasant views in
Myanmar. Ancient cultural and religious heritages are ubiquities of the nation.
Though
being abundant of excellent beaches and beaches of good scenery, the government
itself cannot find out them, as if being left neglected despite that there are
sources which can get foreign exchanges. The lack of desires to pay a repeated
visit to Myanmar in the minds of many visitors are in fact attributed many reasons—inefficiency
of infrastructures and electricity, poor service, expensiveness and
inconvenience of transport. As a result amounts of tourists did not increase as
expected. They came to pay a visit to our country just as a mere visit here as
they had never been to Myanmar. Until now, Myanmar tourism industry cannot yet
persuade visitors to frequently come to Myanmar.
We
have abundance of natural gifts
For
the visitors who had come to Myanmar for the first time, they generally will
not be satisfied with the trips because of the above-said inconveniences. So
long as these weak points cannot be repaired, Myanmar hotel and tourism
industry will still be seasonal industry likewise the local ones, rather than
survival in the long run. Natural landslides of great beauty, mountains,
rivers, creeks, springs, lakes, islands, beauty beaches, ancient cultural
heritages are plentiful in the country, being the invaluable natural gifts.
Without the skillful management of these resources, our country cannot keep up
with even the country with the only largest religious monument Angkor Wat in
earning the foreign income. In case hotel and tourism industries can be more
developed with greater efforts it will be no problem for solving the national
deficit or the foreign debts, not even if it did not keep up with the
Thailand’s income from tourism industry— US $ 44.6 billion.
Translated
by
Khin
Maung Oo
By Khin Maung Htay
[Education]
Ref; The Global New
Light of Myanmar
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