Tourism
From The Report: Myanmar 2014
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While many sectors of Myanmar’s economy have great potential, the tourism sector is already highly profitable and growing rapidly. Flights to Myanmar have dramatically increased in number since 2010 as business visitors and leisure travellers flock to the frontier that until recently was isolated by international sanctions. In just four years, visitor numbers surged from 20,000 per year in 1992 to 200,000 per year in 1996, and they reached 2.04m in 2013. Given the dearth in hotel accommodations and other facilities to meet the surging demand, many operators have doubled or even tripled prices and investors are scrambling to build. Growing at a sustainable pace is key for the sector’s long-term success, and the government has made a decision not to overdevelop too quickly and to respect the landscape and cultures that attract tourists in the first place.
This chapter contains interviews with U Htay Aung, Union Minister, Ministry of Hotels & Tourism; and Frank Janmaat, Group General Manager, Amata Hotels and Resorts.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Balancing act: Figuring out the best ways to tap into the market’s potential
OBG
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While many sectors of Myanmar’s economy have great potential, the tourism sector is already highly profitable and growing rapidly. Flights into Myanmar have dramatically increased in number since 2010 as business visitors and leisure travellers flock to the frontier that until recently was isolated by international sanctions. Given the dearth in hotel accommodations and other facilities to meet the surging demand, many operators have doubled or even tripled prices, and investors are scrambling…

Analysis

Making upgrades: Airport capacity is being expanded as part of the master plan
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Skyrocketing demand to visit Myanmar is driving a proliferationof public infrastructure investment as thegovernment prepares for the much greater numbersof tourists that are likely to arrive in coming years. Withthe number of air routes and the frequency of flightsinto Yangon having risen significantly since 2012, Yangon’ssmall international airport is already overstretched.Although Yangon is the main international gatewayinto Myanmar and the hub…

Analysis

Back from the past: Unfinished hotels from decades past are fertile ground for development
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As Myanmar’s hotel industry rushes to keep pace with rapidly growing demand, it has a fortunate head start: a large number of projects can be resumed after they were started but became dormant or slow-moving during the country’s long years of isolation. Downtown will be home to the forthcoming Hilton Yangon, a 300-room, five-star hotel set to open in 2014. The project was first started in 1993 and was originally planned to be a Sofitel. Part of a mixed-use, glass and steel tower, it ran into…

Analysis

Golden land: Exploring the country’s many treasures
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Myanmar’s very name is evocative for many, conjuring images of an exotic land of famous golden pagodas, teeming jungles, rolling mountains, pristine tropical beaches, longyi-wearing monks and traditional cities with wooden shophouses and busy markets. Now more and more foreign visitors are able to come and see this storied country for themselves – and they are finding that Myanmar remains one of the few destinations that lives up to its image in the popular imagination. Looking Beyond As the…

Interview

OBG talks to U Htay Aung, Union Minister, Ministry of Hotels & Tourism
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Interview:U Htay Aung Since the country opened its doors to the international community, what have been the biggest developments within the tourism sector? U HTAY AUNG: The most noticeable change has been the increase in the volume of tourist arrivals. In 2012 we had 1.06m people coming into Myanmar, which is a record, and marks a significant rise from 2011, when we had 800,000 arrivals. This substantial increase in volume means we have to be mindful of other supporting elements such as infrastructure,…

Interview

OBG talks to Frank Janmaat, Group General Manager, Amata Hotels and Resorts
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Interview:Frank Janmaat How does Myanmar’s tourism sector compare to those of other emerging markets? FRANK JANMAAT: Myanmar offers advantages over a lot of other countries in the region. Many visitors had been waiting for the sanctions to be lifted and for the country to open up. For the time being we receive the experienced tourist; mass, leisure tourism is not yet interested in Myanmar. The uniqueness lies in the fact that the country, in the eyes of potential visitors, is still undiscovered…