Cruise ships in the Myeik Archipelago.AS part of its effort to promote the tourism industry, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism will establish a new resort in Myeik, Taninthayi Region.In the first phase of the environmental impact assessment for the project, the ministry will organise a meeting with residents to explain the project and ask their views, planning to provide construction opportunities to local entrepreneurs if the meeting produces positive outcomes. “We needs to explore new destinations as there are many beautiful untouched islands in the region,” U Hlwan Moe, assistant director of the directorate of hotels and tourism in Kawthaung Region. Located in the southern part of Myanmar, the Myeik Archipelago consists of over 800 islands, all lying in the Andaman Sea. It is the natural habitat of 42 species of fish, 518 kinds of coral and 228 varieties of birds.—200
THE number of hotels and guest houses up until the end of this April have reached 1,345 with 52,466 rooms across the country, according to official figures released by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.Since 2011 the ministry has been relaxing restrictions relating to the issuance of operating licences to both local and foreign investors in the hospitality industry in order to provide better services for international visitors.There are 338 hotels and guest houses with 16,218 rooms in Yangon, 176 hotels with 7,071 rooms in Mandalay, 63 hotels with 5,111 rooms in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, 32 hotels with 888 rooms in Taunggyi, 85 hotels with 2,621 rooms in Inlay and 81 hotels with 2,761 rooms in Bagan.Tour operators say that tourist arrivals are likely to increase this year as a master plan, designed to promote the sector, is being implemented by the ministry.The number of both local and international businesspeople wishing to operate service businesses in the county has also increased month by month.Last year’s tourist arrivals reached a total of 4.68 millions. That number is expected to be surpassed this year.The ministry has permitted 2,091 licences to tour companies, 536 tourist transport licences, 3939 tour guide licences and 2369 local tour guide licences. ML/Union Daily
The I Wish property is one of six B&Bs in Thandaunggyi. Supplied
For more than 100 years, Naw Hsergay’s family lived in the same colonial-style home, passing it down from generation to generation. And then last year they decided to throw open their doors to visitors.
I Wish is one of six properties to be granted a bed and breakfast (B&B) licence in northern Kayin State’s Thandaunggyi since 2015, with another proposed B&B still under construction.
The licences are being issued under a pilot program being jointly implemented by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and state governments, with Thandaunggyi one of two participating regions of the country.
B&Bs differ from hotels in that they must have between four and eight rooms – hotels must have a minimum of 10 – and be at least part-owned by a member of the community. The rooms have to meet standards for cleanliness and comfort, and must be in a separate building from where the owners are staying.
Since opening in October, I Wish has slowly built up a steady stream of guests – but it hasn’t been easy.
A village in Myeik Archipelago in southern Myanmar.ELEVEN villages from Myanmar’s southern coastal region of Tanintharyi will conduct regional based tourism enterprises, according to the office of the Department of Hotels and Tourism. The project, which has currently been submitted to union level government, will be implemented during the current 2016-17 fiscal year, it is known. “Regional-based tourism is like a type of foreign investment. But, it must be conducted by local residents as it plays on regional development. It’s to allow for residents to become self-reliant. The Department of Hotels and Tourism will oversea the whole project.” said U Naing Win, director of the Department of Hotels and Tourism for Tanintharyi Region. Traditional ethnic housing will be built in the eleven villages to accommodate tourists, while programs will be provided on traditional food, handicrafts and ethnic lifestyle and the environment which tourists will be able to study. There will be enterprises run by local residents themselves. “Youth of the local communities will be required to attend hotel service hospitality trainings, and they need to have attended school up until at least fifth grade. This initiative will also require guides who can explain the local region in detail. Tourism entrepreneurs will need to work together with local residents. Any profits made will of course be spilt fifty-fifty between entrepreneurs and those local residents.” continued U Naing Win. It is known that some of the eleven villages, selected for implementation of the aforementioned project, are located within areas still controlled by ethnic armed groups, while construction of at least four bedrooms will be included within traditional ethnic housing. It is aimed that the end of this year will see the successful completion of the project of one of the villages which is located in the Dawei district of the region. The villages that will provide region-based tourism are located in Dawei district: San Hlan, Nyaw Pyin, Metta and Hsinphyutaing; Myeik district: Uyinthaungkan, Donenyaunghmaing, Donekamarkyaung, Dahun; and Kawthaung district: Makyonega, Nyaungwi and Gyalan.
Despite being faced with falling water level in summer, Inle lake has attracted local and foreign tourists. Photo: Htay Aung (Mirror)HIGH temperatures brought about by the El Niño have not impacted Inle Lake as much as expected this summer, though the lake is still facing dropping water levels characteristic of the summer season. “The current water level is low compared to the days in our childhood, but the water level has not decreased as much as in previous years, I think, due to our dredging of silt and sentiment this year,” said Ma Htway Nyo, who lives near the lake. The drop in the water level this year affected several villages on the outskirts of the lake, making the lake inaccessible to them. To reduce the falling water level in Inle Lake this summer, the Irrigation Department has controlled the flow of water from the Lake into the Bilu Creek using two geo-tubes. The department has also been dredging silt and sediment from the rivers that flow into the lake while carrying out conservation measures for the lake. The Irrigation Department has refuted rumours that the lake is facing the threat of silting up. “The main waterways such as the route between Phaung Taw Oo and Nyaung Shwe, and the Alotawpauk Pagoda route are all-weather ways,” an official of the department said. “Inle Lake looks like a deep frying pan. There is always water in its centre,” he added. Meanwhile, ministries have teamed up with UN agencies and foreign countries to step up efforts for the conservation of Inle Lake, while adopting a five-year plan with short-term and long-term components. Measures are being taken to dredge silt to make waterways in the lake deeper, to conserve the lake’s watershed areas and birds, to reduce noise from the exhausts of boats and to limit the use of fertilisers on islands in the lake. Following separate meetings between the Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and ambassadors from the Netherlands and Norway and the Country Programme Manager of UN Habitat recently, the ministry announced that it has received technical assistance from UN agencies and the foreign countries in the drafting of plans for the sustainability of the Inle Lake. Myanmar opened a new chapter in its commitment to biodiversity and ecosystem conservation by launching the country’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at Inle Lake on 4 December. Inle Lake was designated as Myanmar’s first Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme at the 27th Session of the MAB International Coordinating Council meeting at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in June 2015. UNESCO has worked closely with Myanmar’s Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MoECAF) to provide technical assistance for the nomination process of Inle Lake in collaboration with the UNDP and with generous funding from the government of Norway under the framework of the Inle Lake Conservation and Rehabilitation Project. “There are three main factors causing the degradation of Inle Lake: deforestation around the lake, increasing silt and sentiment in the lake and degradation of the water quality of the lake,” said U Ohn Maung, Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism, who was previously well-known for his efforts to conserve the lake. “Strict enforcement of regulations on cutting trees in a 20-mile radius of Inle Lake should be made while revitalising afforestation in those areas. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to prevent the flow of silt and sentiment from the four major rivers into the lake,” he added.—Ko Thet with GNLM
THAI investments are expected to promote tourism in Taninthayi Region, according to Thai media. A Thai company called Pongpipat has been building an international standard hotel in Taninthayi with an investment of US$125 million in an effort to capitalize on the promising tourism industry in the region. The hotel is being built on 50 acres of land and is slated to take five years. Pongpipat has conducted mining operations in the Heinda Mine since 1999. Investment is now pouring into Taninthayi Region’s tourism industry, mainly on Shidomel Island in Myeik District. Domel Island Development Co, with an investment of $25 million, plans to enter the resort business there. The company has already received approval from the Myanmar Investment Commission. “Thai investors are keen on investing in Taninthayi Region. Hotels and resorts might develop on the beaches and the islands in Myanmar,” said U Maung Maung Swe, vice chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation. Similar investments will be made by Thai entrepreneurs in hotel businesses in the Myeik archipelago. Thai companies are reported to be seeking approval from the Myanmar Investment Commission.—PPN/Union Daily
“ALTHOUGH Ngapali beach has received an increase in domestic visitors, the growth is slower than in Chaungtha and Ngwe Saung beaches,” a businessman said. Ngapali is Myanmar’s premier beach destination. Located on the Bay of Bengal in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State, its main feature is an idyllic stretch of white sand and palm tree-lined coast, with a number of resorts spread out beside traditional fishing villages. The beach is ranked 8th on TripAdvisor’s list of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Locals say they want the government to improve hotels and service facilities in the area with the aim of attracting international visitors. “Transportation plays an essential part in tourism development,” a tour operator said, adding that the country needs to focus on infrastructure development and better services. Myanmar has seen a massive influx of tourism year on year for the last several years. According to the ministry’s Master Plan (2013-2020), tourist arrivals are estimated to hit 7.49 million by 2020. There are over 1,000 hotels with nearly 50,000 rooms across the country, according to official figures released by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that Myanmar will top the list of tourism development sites in the future.—SM/Union Daily
