Burma becomes Asia’s next big tourist destination

The hotels are full or eye-wateringly expensive, creased dollar bills are worthless and credit cards are widely refused – welcome to Burma, Asia’s next big tourist destination.

The South-East Asian nation, once shielded from international eyes by a brutal military junta and a travel boycott supported by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has become a must-see for many travelers.

“Because the country has been so isolated, the deeply Buddhist ‘Land of the Golden Pagoda’ resonates with a strong sense of place, undiluted by mass tourism and warmed by genuine hospitality,” the New York Times said in January, ranking the country third on its list of the top 45 destinations of 2012.

But the influx of tourists is posing a challenge to the burgeoning travel industry in a country where a string of political reforms has not been matched by infrastructure development.

The few hotels in Yangon offering international standards of business accommodation have begun to charge up to several hundred dollars a night for rooms that were half the price, if not less, a year ago.
Even hoteliers admit that the situation is unsustainable.

International arrivals have rocketed, with almost 365,000 foreigners jetting into the main city Yangon in 2011, up 22 per cent on the previous year and almost double the figure for 2003, industry figures show.

This year is likely to see another jump, with more than 175,000 arrivals between January and April, against almost 130,000 in the same period of 2011.

According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, there are only around 8,000 hotels rooms in the city.
At Yangon’s famed golden Shwedagon Pagoda, the slow, circular promenade around the majestic golden spire was until recently mainly the preserve of local couples, children and burgundy-robed monks.

Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, of the Myanmar Tourism Board, said the tourism influx had also caused “unprecedented congestion” at hotels, especially in Yangon, which have begun inflating their prices in response.”Potential holiday makers may opt for other destinations in the region,” he added.

The government is scrambling to improve the country’s tourism infrastructure, with efforts to build new hotels and upgrade transport links at major tourist destinations.

Travel is currently centred on four main sites connected by internal flights — Yangon, Inle Lake in eastern Shan State, the temples of Bagan and the royal capital Mandalay.- smh.com.au