Myanmar seems genuinely concerned to avoid massive development which could destroy its culture. A masterplan for tourism development is due to be released before year end.
Potential is huge in Myanmar and it seems that many countries are just in the starting blocks to move into Southeast Asia’s last frontier. But this raises also concerns among locals to see parts of their country turning into a kind of Disneyland. This is already the case in other Mekong countries which have troubles to find the right balance between development and preservation.
Last April, UK newspaper Daily Telegraph Editor for South Asia Dean Nelson reported about Thant Myint U, a famous Burmese historian and author, launching a campaign to preserve the fabulous colonial heritage of Yangon, probably the most extensive of any cities in the region. He received the support from Britain’s Department for International Development. All the grand structures still standing around Yangon have connections with some of the world’s most famous names such as the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (a honorary Consul in Rangoon in 1927), Burmese hero General Aung San or writer George Orwell, a guest of the Strand Hotel and Rudyard Kipling, host of the Pegu Club.
Transferring the administration to the new capital Nay Pyi Daw left many buildings empty those days with investors eyeing some of them as potential future hotels -at best- or as future skyscrapers -at worst. Surprisingly, Burmese tend to show more resilience than other ASEAN nationals in their bid to protect their culture. Many are asking the government to draft new laws able to list some of their magnificent colonial structures located in prime locations. The battle is far of being wopn. A typical example can be observed at the former Railways Station headquarters in the city centre. A local investor had promised to restore the stunning neo-gothic structure. A few years has since passed and the building stands idle. However the owner managed to build next to the structure a rather ugly residential unit!
The battle around buildings just reflects the mood in Myanmar those days. “We are very conscious that we must protect our heritage and our culture. This is why we already publish a first draft policy on responsible tourism at a workshop in Nay Pyi Daw in early June. This is a first step before having the release of a master plan on tourism development which should come by the end of December. Then it will define the framework for investors,” explained Daw Kyi Kyi Aye, Adviser to the Minister of Hotels and Tourism during the Mekong Tourism Forum. The policy has been drafted together with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation, an organsiation based in Germany.
The draft looks at topics such as prevention of child sex tourism; prevention of trafficking of people and rare animals; education for communities and the tourism industry; development of a star rating system; and promotion of local foods, culture and heritage.
According to Daw Kyi Kyi Ayen there is a consensus in the tourism industry that a responsible tourism policy was urgently needed and would provide the foundations for a broader tourism development strategy. Travel industry stake holders also agreed that to enforce the draft, both private and public sectors will have to cooperate together. Human resources will have absolute priorities to also be sure that future development in tourism will go towards people. Education, training, improving language skills will then be crucial.
Will Myanmar succeed in its quest for a sustainable tourism? Veteran journalist Don Ross, a Mekong region specialist, is very cautious: “Myanmar people are genuine and naive due to their lack of experience. Some countries are likely to abuse of it,” he explained.
One of the first regions to test the resilience of the government to over-development might be for the regions located along the Andaman Sea in the south. There is now a plan to build up a new US$ 50 billion port and industrial zone in Dawei in cooperation with Thailand. Thai have already approved a US$ 1.1 billion budget to build up infrastructures from Kanchanaburi Province up to Myanmar’s border. According to a government’s spokesman, “many Thai companies are ready to invest in Myanmar and our job is to support that investment.” The Dawei project is developed by Thailand’s biggest construction company Italian-Thai Development Plc. Development plans include the construction of a four-lane highway, a $1.2 billion deep-sea port as well as a 400-MW power plant by the end of 2015. It will also integrate various hotels.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
