What's new

Myanmar Defence Forum

tell me more about Myanmar armed forces Mordernization plan

I think MM moved toward self-sufficient rather than buying from other countries.. Next year we can start assembly line of Nexter UGV from France... Then intensive focus on R&D to produce MM own UAVs with the help of foreign technicians..

 
Last edited:
More photos
image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg


Myanmar MI 35 P fleet...
image.jpg
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    73.2 KB · Views: 47
Will love to visit Myanmar these coming years. Guess I need to put Myanmar in my upcoming Asian tour (Vietnam is already on my list. ):cheers:

Would like to recommended a must visits to our unique ancient city Bagan.. It will never be worthless to go there.. Jay z and Beyonce will recently take a visit to Bagan as well.. Cheer..!!!

Beyonce and Jay Z take a break from sunny Thailand to soak up the sights of Burma - 3am & Mirror Online

Beyonce, Jay Z visit Bagan - Eleven Myanmar | Eleven Myanmar
 
Frigate F14 and corvette 773 installation weapons at Naval Base...

image.jpg

image.jpg


Frigate F12 and Torpedo boat T201
image.jpg
 
YANGON–With the aim of attracting tourists and promoting Myanmar’s tourism industry, Inle Night Market situated in Northern Shan State, will be upgraded in early January 2015, according to the Myanmar Restaurant Entrepreneurs Association.


“We have a plan to upgrade the night market in early January. However, we will first discuss it with locals and authorities. Inle Night Market should be upgraded because many of foreigners visit it,” said Myo Min Zaw, Chairman of Inle Zone for the Myanmar Restaurant Entrepreneurs Association.

At present, Inle Night Market has only ten shops that open at 10:30pm. Plans are underway to expand the restaurants, as well as souvenir shops and regional product shops.


The Inle area attracts foreigners as well as local visitors. If the shops expand, it will create more job opportunities for locals and attract foreign currencies, according to the Myanmar Restaurant Entrepreneurs Association.


Plans to build a night market in Yangon to attract tourists is also under way, but there has been difficulty in choosing a location. Meetings with authorities are ongoing.

http://www.elevenmya...onal&Itemid=384

image.jpg



The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) estimates that the total number of tourists to visit Myanmar between 2013 and 2030 will reach at least 20.4 million.

The number of local travelers is estimated to reach 29.3 million in the same period. The Myanmar government is working on developing a tourism ‘master plan’ to lure foreign visitors. The plan’s budget is US$ 486.60 million. Implementation of the plan began last year and will end in 2030.


The estimates of Myanmar’s Hotel and Tourism Ministry, however, differ from those of JICA, placing the projected number of visitors by 2030 at only 7 million. The master plan was set up with the assistance of the Norwegian government and the Asian Development Bank.


Myanmar’s hotel and tourism sector has growth steadily since the country opened its doors to foreign investment in 2011. The hotel and tourism sector has generated $940 million since then, and 85 percent of that revenue was earned by private individuals, according to Hotels and Tourism Minister Htay Aung.

http://www.elevenmya...ness&Itemid=356

I always thought Nas was a better rapper. Still, good to have him over!

Hopefully more celebrities take a visit to Myanmar.. That's a way of promoting and advertising our tourism industry.. Whoever and whenever.. :D

MYANMAR: Toyota, Suzuki to invest in new economic zone
By Graeme Roberts | 2014

Font size Email Print


Toyota, Suzuki and French auto parts manufacturer La Farge separately have bid to set up operations in Myanmar’s Thilawa special economic zone, according to the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC).

The Thilawa industrial zone, located just outside the country’s commercial capital Yangon, is scheduled to be completed and available to manufacturing companies in 2015, according to an MIC spokesman.

Suzuki already has a wholly-owned assembly operation in Yangon, on a property leased from the government, but is known to want to move to the dedicated manufacturing hub.

The big news here is if Toyota also plans to set up an assembly facility in the country, having just announced the establishment of a dealer in Yangon.

Nissan announced last year that it plans to have an assembly plant in Myanmar by 2015 through its Malaysian partner Tan Chong Motor.

Automakers invest in Myanmar’s economic zone

June 10, 2014 7:00 pm JST
Japan, US companies 1st to secure space in Myanmar's Thilawa industrial park
MOTOKAZU MATSUI, Nikkei staff writer

20140610_ball_article_main_image.jpg

U.S. beverage packaging maker Ball said it plans to hire 150 people at its Myanmar factory to be established next year.

YANGON -- Two companies -- one from Japan and the other from the U.S. -- are the first to secure lots in an industrial park under development in Myanmar in cooperation with the Japanese government and businesses.

The U.S. company, Ball, is confident its investment will bring Myanmar medium- and long-term benefits by creating jobs and facilitating the transfer of technology, Scott Morrison, the beverage packaging company's chief financial officer, told the press Friday in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital and biggest city.

The Colorado-based, New York Stock Exchange-listed company reported roughly $8.5 billion in sales in fiscal 2013. It manufactures metal packaging for beverages and other products in the U.S., China, Brazil and elsewhere. Ball has been bolstering investment in Southeast Asia in recent years. Its Vietnamese plant began operating in 2012.

With the decision to set up shop in the Thilawa industrial park -- which lies southeast of Yangon -- the company is looking to start manufacturing soft-drink cans in Myanmar as early as next summer for Coca-Cola and other companies already operating in the country. Morrison declined to reveal how much the company plans to invest, but he said it plans to hire 150 people at the Thilawa plant.

20140610_thilawa_middle_320.jpg

More than 50 companies are showing interest in moving into the Thilawa industrial park.

Friday also saw Koyo Radiator sign a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar Japan Thilawa Development, the developer of the industrial park, on a deal to lease a roughly 3-hectare plot.

The company plans to invest about 500 million yen ($4.82 million) to build a factory capable of manufacturing 120,000 after-market automotive radiators a year. All output will be exported.

Saving money

Koyo already has factories in China and Vietnam, but labor costs have been rising sharply in these countries. Such expenses in Myanmar are said to be about one-sixth those in China.

"We decided to expand into Myanmar because it is easy to hire good workers at low cost," said Koyo Chairman Kazumoto Ejiri.

More than 50 companies from a total of 10 countries and regions have shown interest in setting up shop in the industrial park, according to Takashi Yanai, president of MJTD, a joint venture among major local companies and Japanese trading houses Sumitomo Corp., Mitsubishi Corp. and Marubeni.

"We aim to sign agreements with 30 or so companies by the end of the year," Yanai said.

Securing such deals would fill up roughly half of a 400-hectare zone in the industrial park, completing the first stage of development there. MJTD is considering launching second-stage development to fill up the zone's remaining 200 hectares.

The industrial park is receiving a lot of attention from foreign manufacturers because it is served by well-developed power and water infrastructure, but offers leases about 20% lower than the going rates at other industrial parks in the country.
 
I think te boast in tourism could be related to Top gear, a lot of people watch top gear, in America, the UK and Australia. :D also there recent reform has helped too, people just want to know what the hermit hides :D
 
@alaungphaya bro arrr yin d thread htal lar p help par oo naw... E kya bro lout m kg lo par... Thz bro..

I think te boast in tourism could be related to Top gear, a lot of people watch top gear, in America, the UK and Australia. :D also there recent reform has helped too, people just want to know what the hermit hides :D

So how about BD's tourism industry..? :D
 
@alaungphaya bro arrr yin d thread htal lar p help par oo naw... E kya bro lout m kg lo par... Thz bro..



So how about BD's tourism industry..? :D

So how about BD'S tourism industry, well I would tell you but it be a pretty lengthy read, want to know?
 
So how about BD'S tourism industry, well I would tell you but it be a pretty lengthy read, want to know?

Interesting..!! Ok .. Plz carry on.... Mate..

According to this... Not so bad... :D

News Report Tourist arrival dropped 50 per cent in 2013 as the country passed through political violence, frequent hatals and uncertainty giving a negative image to tourists about the country, sources said. Though tourist arrival posted more than 50 per cent drop in 2013, earnings recorded over 20 per cent growth during the same year, sources in the Bangladesh Bank (BB) and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) said. The earnings from the tourism sector stood at 121.5 million US dollars in 2013 compared to 100.75 million US dollars in 2012. The tourist arrival in Bangladesh in 2013 was 278, 780 as against 588,193 in 2012, according to BPC. India topped the list of tourist arrival in 2013 with a total number of 57,188, followed by 43,820 British, 18,444 Chinese, 10,23 Canadian, 9,535 Japanese and 7,809 Australian nationals in 2013. In 2012, India topped the list of tourist arrival with a total number of 160,240, followed by 83,100 British, 30,944 Chinese, 20,215 Canadian, 17,914 Japanese and 16,762 Australian nationals. The growth of the tourism industry suffered a setback in terms of tourist arrival last year as the country witnessed political unrest and frequent violent hartal that claimed several hundred lives countrywide, said some tour operators. The 19-party alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), called series of hartals throughout the year. The earnings from the tourism sector posted 20.46 per cent growth in 2012. The earnings from the tourism sector stood at 100.75 million US dollars in 2012 as against 83.73 million US dollars in 2011. The tourism sector posted negative growth in 2009 and 2010 and a measure of 5.50 per cent in 2011. Only the sector grew 16.79 per cent, the second highest growth in the last 10 years, according to BB statistics. While talking to this correspondent, Hakim Ali, President of Bangladesh Foundation for Tourism Development (BFTD) said tourism sector can generate 500 million US dollars per year provided the government launched a massive drive to popularize the sector with special fund. Quoting Bangladesh Bank statistics, Hakim Ali said Bangladesh earned $100m as revenue from tourism sector in 2012. Hakim Ali, also managing director of Hotel Agrabad, said the country's tourism sector got 5.28 lakh foreign tourists and 50 lakh domestic tourists in 2012. Rezaul Karim, Executive Director, BFTD, said, Bangladesh can easily earn 2.00-3.00 billion US dollars per year by targeting foreign tourists. Laying emphasis on inbound tourists, he said the number of outbound tourists is much higher than the number of inbound tourists. He said 100,000 Bangladeshis every year visit Malaysia, 5,00,000 visit India, 80,000 visit Singapore and 70,000 visit Thailand spending several billion dollars a year. Manzur Murshed, President of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), said the country lost foreign currency from tourists due to the political turmoil last year. "They [tourists] were concerned about their safety and security," he said. "We had been badly hit by volatile political situation last year," Taufiq Uddin Ahmed, President of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), said. Bengal Tours, a leading inbound tour operator, had around 100 visitors from Europe and Japan were due in between October and the first week of November of last year but all of them abandoned their planned trips, according to Masud Hossain, the company's executive director.

Tourists arrival plummets
 
Last edited:
According to this... Not so bad... :D

News Report Tourist arrival dropped 50 per cent in 2013 as the country passed through political violence, frequent hatals and uncertainty giving a negative image to tourists about the country, sources said. Though tourist arrival posted more than 50 per cent drop in 2013, earnings recorded over 20 per cent growth during the same year, sources in the Bangladesh Bank (BB) and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) said. The earnings from the tourism sector stood at 121.5 million US dollars in 2013 compared to 100.75 million US dollars in 2012. The tourist arrival in Bangladesh in 2013 was 278, 780 as against 588,193 in 2012, according to BPC. India topped the list of tourist arrival in 2013 with a total number of 57,188, followed by 43,820 British, 18,444 Chinese, 10,23 Canadian, 9,535 Japanese and 7,809 Australian nationals in 2013. In 2012, India topped the list of tourist arrival with a total number of 160,240, followed by 83,100 British, 30,944 Chinese, 20,215 Canadian, 17,914 Japanese and 16,762 Australian nationals. The growth of the tourism industry suffered a setback in terms of tourist arrival last year as the country witnessed political unrest and frequent violent hartal that claimed several hundred lives countrywide, said some tour operators. The 19-party alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), called series of hartals throughout the year. The earnings from the tourism sector posted 20.46 per cent growth in 2012. The earnings from the tourism sector stood at 100.75 million US dollars in 2012 as against 83.73 million US dollars in 2011. The tourism sector posted negative growth in 2009 and 2010 and a measure of 5.50 per cent in 2011. Only the sector grew 16.79 per cent, the second highest growth in the last 10 years, according to BB statistics. While talking to this correspondent, Hakim Ali, President of Bangladesh Foundation for Tourism Development (BFTD) said tourism sector can generate 500 million US dollars per year provided the government launched a massive drive to popularize the sector with special fund. Quoting Bangladesh Bank statistics, Hakim Ali said Bangladesh earned $100m as revenue from tourism sector in 2012. Hakim Ali, also managing director of Hotel Agrabad, said the country's tourism sector got 5.28 lakh foreign tourists and 50 lakh domestic tourists in 2012. Rezaul Karim, Executive Director, BFTD, said, Bangladesh can easily earn 2.00-3.00 billion US dollars per year by targeting foreign tourists. Laying emphasis on inbound tourists, he said the number of outbound tourists is much higher than the number of inbound tourists. He said 100,000 Bangladeshis every year visit Malaysia, 5,00,000 visit India, 80,000 visit Singapore and 70,000 visit Thailand spending several billion dollars a year. Manzur Murshed, President of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), said the country lost foreign currency from tourists due to the political turmoil last year. "They [tourists] were concerned about their safety and security," he said. "We had been badly hit by volatile political situation last year," Taufiq Uddin Ahmed, President of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), said. Bengal Tours, a leading inbound tour operator, had around 100 visitors from Europe and Japan were due in between October and the first week of November of last year but all of them abandoned their planned trips, according to Masud Hossain, the company's executive director.

Tourists arrival plummets

Indeed it's not soo bad, I would have told you my opinions as to why there may be an increase and decrease in Bangladesh tourist numbers, but this article summed it up, I'm glad you found it.

There are plans by India's Northeast to create a tourist circuit with Bangladesh and Myanmar, there are plans to promote history, heritage an culture in the area, most notably world war sites, budhist sites, etc. I think this can definitely help boast regional tourism in the three countries. There is also the BCIM EC which can boost tourism too. Bangladesh also submitted a proposal to the chinese government of opening a new passage way to kumming through myanmar from chittagong via cox's bazar. As our relations improve (and both the countries get over the rohingya issue) than we can see tourist from Myanmar visiting Bangladesh, and Myanmar visiting Bangladesh.

A list of tourist spots and potential tourist spots in Bangladesh.

Cox's Bazaar (The longest natural sand beach in the world) There needs to be planned development in the district in my opinion, there has been proposal to set up an ETZ = Exclusive tourism zone in the sabrang area, Opposite myanmar. ^^)
Kuakata (One of the only beaches in the world, where you can see both sunrise and sunset, there has been a proposal to set up an ETZ here too)
Sundurbans (The largest mangrove forest in the world, home to the royal bengal tiger)
Chittagong Hill tracts (the rooftop of Bangladesh,)
Tanguar haor (The mother fishery, to experts, it is known as one of the most beautiful and best scenic spots to view birds.)

I'm just eating I'll complete the list after I've finished eating.

Somapura Mahavihara (Unesoc world heritage site, and among one of the most known viharas in the world. It was home to many buddhist intellectuals during its use. It is also the biggest buddhist vihara to be built south of the himalayas and had a huge influence on buddhist architecture in myanmar, cambodia, laos etc)
Pahapur (An ancient buddhist city that surrounds the monastery mention above)
Jaggadala Vihara (another vihara of the five that where built. This one is in ruin but it is close and still beautiful)
Halud Vihara, (not one of the great 5 viharas, but still culturally important)
Mahasthangarh and it's environs, (another ancient buddhist city, used by both hindus and muslims too)
The lalmai-mainmati group of monumets (ancient buddhist site, a beautiful one too)
Sonargaon/ panam city. (The Golden village/city was once the city of muslin. it is a beautiful ancient capital.)
Wari Bateshwar (The settlement today, may have been the earliest signs of coinage/currency usage in the world.)
The mosque city of Bagherat (Known by many as 'the mint city' it boast fine islamic architecture, in a traditional begnali style)
Many hindu temples here too.

I can tell you, buddhist like yourself would definitely love Bangladesh, there's a lot of buddhist sites here and more to be discovered by our archaeological departments,

I hope bangladesh and myanmar can soon prosper, soon maybe BD and Myanmar will be best freinds and our countries people will come over to each other countries. :D

Below is Somapura Mahavihara

1920px-Somapura_Mahavihara.jpg


Below is what it would have looked like if it was still in tact and survived.

Naqi_model.jpg
 
Indeed it's not soo bad, I would have told you my opinions as to why there may be an increase and decrease in Bangladesh tourist numbers, but this article summed it up, I'm glad you found it.

There are plans by India's Northeast to create a tourist circuit with Bangladesh and Myanmar, there are plans to promote history, heritage an culture in the area, most notably world war sites, budhist sites, etc. I think this can definitely help boast regional tourism in the three countries. There is also the BCIM EC which can boost tourism too. Bangladesh also submitted a proposal to the chinese government of opening a new passage way to kumming through myanmar from chittagong via cox's bazar. As our relations improve (and both the countries get over the rohingya issue) than we can see tourist from Myanmar visiting Bangladesh, and Myanmar visiting Bangladesh.

A list of tourist spots and potential tourist spots in Bangladesh.

Cox's Bazaar (The longest natural sand beach in the world) There needs to be planned development in the district in my opinion, there has been proposal to set up an ETZ = Exclusive tourism zone in the sabrang area, Opposite myanmar. ^^)
Kuakata (One of the only beaches in the world, where you can see both sunrise and sunset, there has been a proposal to set up an ETZ here too)
Sundurbans (The largest mangrove forest in the world, home to the royal bengal tiger)
Chittagong Hill tracts (the rooftop of Bangladesh,)
Tanguar haor (The mother fishery, to experts, it is known as one of the most beautiful and best scenic spots to view birds.)

I'm just eating I'll complete the list after I've finished eating.

Somapura Mahavihara (Unesoc world heritage site, and among one of the most known viharas in the world. It was home to many buddhist intellectuals during its use. It is also the biggest buddhist vihara to be built south of the himalayas and had a huge influence on buddhist architecture in myanmar, cambodia, laos etc)
Pahapur (An ancient buddhist city that surrounds the monastery mention above)
Jaggadala Vihara (another vihara of the five that where built. This one is in ruin but it is close and still beautiful)
Halud Vihara, (not one of the great 5 viharas, but still culturally important)
Mahasthangarh and it's environs, (another ancient buddhist city, used by both hindus and muslims too)
The lalmai-mainmati group of monumets (ancient buddhist site, a beautiful one too)
Sonargaon/ panam city. (The Golden village/city was once the city of muslin. it is a beautiful ancient capital.)
Wari Bateshwar (The settlement today, may have been the earliest signs of coinage/currency usage in the world.)
The mosque city of Bagherat (Known by many as 'the mint city' it boast fine islamic architecture, in a traditional begnali style)
Many hindu temples here too.

I can tell you, buddhist like yourself would definitely love Bangladesh, there's a lot of buddhist sites here and more to be discovered by our archaeological departments,

I hope bangladesh and myanmar can soon prosper, soon maybe BD and Myanmar will be best freinds and our countries people will come over to each other countries. :D

Below is Somapura Mahavihara

1920px-Somapura_Mahavihara.jpg


Below is what it would have looked like if it was still in tact and survived.

Naqi_model.jpg

Great..!!! Love to see it.. Mate..
One thing amaze me is why the tourist arrival of Bangladesh is so relatively lower than most Asian countries though it has such great tourist attractions... Gov doesn't support tourism sector..? Myanmar also start to grow its with 20 year master plan with 458 million $ starting fund... Myanmar earns more than 1 billion dollar for 2014 with over 3 million tourist arrival (comparatively higher than 2010 with 800,00 arrival).. Myanmar target to get

Growing international interest in Myanmar, following the easing of sanctions by the West, has led to a period of unprecedented growth in the tourism industry and has seen visitor numbers soar to 2m last year from 300,000 in 2010, according to governmental data.

Arrivals in the first six months rose 43% year-on-year to 1.6m, according to official numbers from the Hotel and Tourism Ministry, which has a full-year target for inbound visitors of 3m. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which analyses the sector’s performance across 184 countries, expects Myanmar to feature on its list of the top ten fastest-expanding tourism industries globally.

Last year, the direct contribution from travel and tourism to GDP stood at MMK849.6bn, or 1.6% of GDP, according to the WTTC. The total contribution to GDP, which takes into account the wider effects from investment, the supply chain and income effect, reached MMK1.97trn ($2.02bn) last year, or 3.7% of GDP, and is forecast to rise by 9.2% in 2014. However, if Myanmar achieves 50% growth this year, as targeted, the revenue figure is likely to be a lot higher.

At the same time, fears that accelerated growth could negatively impact the quality of service and prized attractions, if left unchecked, are sparking calls from some industry players for a more cautious pace of development.

Arrivals and investment rising
Alongside the surge in visitor numbers, Myanmar has witnessed a significant rise in investment during the past three years, with a raft of new hotels and infrastructure developments providing a boost to existing stock. The number of hotels registered in Myanmar reached 1019 at the end of July, up from 960 recorded in March, according to the ministry.

“After nearly 50 years of stagnation, the hotel industry has experienced exponential growth since 2011,” Sukhdeep Singh, general manager of Inya Lake Hotel, told OBG. “The huge increase in tourist arrivals has led to high occupancy rates.”

While new developments pushed up hotel stock by more than 10% during the first half of 2014 and took room numbers to in excess of 35,000, the industry will need to maintain momentum if it is to keep pace with the rise in tourist arrivals.

Infrastructural improvements will also have a key part to play in facilitating growth. Efforts to fill the gaps are already under way, with a new airport earmarked for Hanthawaddy, outside of Yangon, which is scheduled to open in 2016. The airport will be capable of handling 10m international passengers annually, doubling current capacity levels across the country. Upgrades are also planned for existing facilities to support the initiative.

Finding a balance
While the rise in visitor numbers signals good news for both the tourism industry and Myanmar’s broader economy, concerns are growing that the rapid pace of development could put a strain on resources.

Industry players have highlighted the importance of ensuring future growth is sustainable. “Negative publicity about disappointing travel experiences travels faster and reaches more people than the positive stories,” Frank Janmaat, managing director at Yangon-based Lighthouse Hospitality Consultancy, told OBG. “Under current circumstances, trying to attract the highest number of tourists might be counter-productive for the image of Myanmar as a travel destination.”

The country is also missing a sound regulatory environment, which may well prove crucial in providing protection for historical and natural places of interest. “Myanmar has only just opened up,” U Aung Soe Tha, chairman of Myanmar Combiz Travels, said, when speaking to OBG. “We need to improve rules and regulations within the tourism sector to protect local business.”

Exploring new markets
While Myanmar will need to address these issues, the potential for further expansion remains huge. Western Europe, in particular, offers significant scope for growth. Tourists from the continent accounted for 17.6% of all arrivals in 2013, significantly fewer than the number of visitors from Asian countries, who made up 70% of all international arrivals, according to Myanmar tourism statistics.

Stronger promotional activities in Europe, and closer to home in Oceania, could help broaden Myanmar’s appeal, while niche attractions, including casinos, are being considered. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism confirmed at the beginning of September that legislation enabling casinos to be established in targeted tourism zones, catering solely for foreigners, was being drafted. At present, gambling operations in Myanmar are illegal.

Despite a strong performance from the sector in 2013, Myanmar’s visitor numbers remained significantly below those of its peers, including Vietnam (7.5m), Indonesia (8.8m), Malaysia (25.7m) and regional leader Thailand (26.5m), according to figures from the World Tourism Association. However, the fast pace of growth, combined with Myanmar’s huge potential, suggests the target of welcoming 5m arrivals in 2015 may well be achievable.

Myanmar in the midst of tourism boom | Myanmar [node:field_publication_year] | Oxford Business Group
 
Great..!!! Love to see it.. Mate..
One thing amaze me is why the tourist arrival of Bangladesh is so relatively lower than most Asian countries though it has such great tourist attractions... Gov doesn't support tourism sector..? Myanmar also start to grow its with 20 year master plan with 458 million $ starting fund... Myanmar earns more than 1 billion dollar for 2014 with over 3 million tourist arrival (comparatively higher than 2010 with 800,00 arrival).. Myanmar target to get

Growing international interest in Myanmar, following the easing of sanctions by the West, has led to a period of unprecedented growth in the tourism industry and has seen visitor numbers soar to 2m last year from 300,000 in 2010, according to governmental data.

Arrivals in the first six months rose 43% year-on-year to 1.6m, according to official numbers from the Hotel and Tourism Ministry, which has a full-year target for inbound visitors of 3m. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which analyses the sector’s performance across 184 countries, expects Myanmar to feature on its list of the top ten fastest-expanding tourism industries globally.

Last year, the direct contribution from travel and tourism to GDP stood at MMK849.6bn, or 1.6% of GDP, according to the WTTC. The total contribution to GDP, which takes into account the wider effects from investment, the supply chain and income effect, reached MMK1.97trn ($2.02bn) last year, or 3.7% of GDP, and is forecast to rise by 9.2% in 2014. However, if Myanmar achieves 50% growth this year, as targeted, the revenue figure is likely to be a lot higher.

At the same time, fears that accelerated growth could negatively impact the quality of service and prized attractions, if left unchecked, are sparking calls from some industry players for a more cautious pace of development.

Arrivals and investment rising
Alongside the surge in visitor numbers, Myanmar has witnessed a significant rise in investment during the past three years, with a raft of new hotels and infrastructure developments providing a boost to existing stock. The number of hotels registered in Myanmar reached 1019 at the end of July, up from 960 recorded in March, according to the ministry.

“After nearly 50 years of stagnation, the hotel industry has experienced exponential growth since 2011,” Sukhdeep Singh, general manager of Inya Lake Hotel, told OBG. “The huge increase in tourist arrivals has led to high occupancy rates.”

While new developments pushed up hotel stock by more than 10% during the first half of 2014 and took room numbers to in excess of 35,000, the industry will need to maintain momentum if it is to keep pace with the rise in tourist arrivals.

Infrastructural improvements will also have a key part to play in facilitating growth. Efforts to fill the gaps are already under way, with a new airport earmarked for Hanthawaddy, outside of Yangon, which is scheduled to open in 2016. The airport will be capable of handling 10m international passengers annually, doubling current capacity levels across the country. Upgrades are also planned for existing facilities to support the initiative.

Finding a balance
While the rise in visitor numbers signals good news for both the tourism industry and Myanmar’s broader economy, concerns are growing that the rapid pace of development could put a strain on resources.

Industry players have highlighted the importance of ensuring future growth is sustainable. “Negative publicity about disappointing travel experiences travels faster and reaches more people than the positive stories,” Frank Janmaat, managing director at Yangon-based Lighthouse Hospitality Consultancy, told OBG. “Under current circumstances, trying to attract the highest number of tourists might be counter-productive for the image of Myanmar as a travel destination.”

The country is also missing a sound regulatory environment, which may well prove crucial in providing protection for historical and natural places of interest. “Myanmar has only just opened up,” U Aung Soe Tha, chairman of Myanmar Combiz Travels, said, when speaking to OBG. “We need to improve rules and regulations within the tourism sector to protect local business.”

Exploring new markets
While Myanmar will need to address these issues, the potential for further expansion remains huge. Western Europe, in particular, offers significant scope for growth. Tourists from the continent accounted for 17.6% of all arrivals in 2013, significantly fewer than the number of visitors from Asian countries, who made up 70% of all international arrivals, according to Myanmar tourism statistics.

Stronger promotional activities in Europe, and closer to home in Oceania, could help broaden Myanmar’s appeal, while niche attractions, including casinos, are being considered. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism confirmed at the beginning of September that legislation enabling casinos to be established in targeted tourism zones, catering solely for foreigners, was being drafted. At present, gambling operations in Myanmar are illegal.

Despite a strong performance from the sector in 2013, Myanmar’s visitor numbers remained significantly below those of its peers, including Vietnam (7.5m), Indonesia (8.8m), Malaysia (25.7m) and regional leader Thailand (26.5m), according to figures from the World Tourism Association. However, the fast pace of growth, combined with Myanmar’s huge potential, suggests the target of welcoming 5m arrivals in 2015 may well be achievable.

Myanmar in the midst of tourism boom | Myanmar [node:field_publication_year] | Oxford Business Group

We welcome you with open hands. :D...

I believe our tourism industry can be a top foreign currency earner and apparently I'm not the only Bangladeshi to think this, according to menon - "Tourism industry can make the highest contribution to the country's economy by surpassing garments sector, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon has said." I believe this to be true too.

Menon: Tourism can be top foreign currency earner | Dhaka Tribune

However of course there are things that hamper our development. A few things that hamper our development...
Lack of investment, there is lack of investment from both public and private sector to make tourism a sustainable sector.
imagery of the country, this applies to both domestic and international news papers who report on Bangladesh, normally when something positive is happening, many western outlets wont report upon it however when something negative happens, rana plaza, sundurban oil spill, a lot of western news paper will report on it, this makes our country look bad. (I've only seen the Guardian report positive staff about Bangladesh, only the Guardian)
Religion, I think Americas wars/campagins against countries such as afghanistan and Iraq has helped stem this fear of muslims into westerners, I think people automatically associate muslims with terrorism now that, thats how the media over the portrays and hence people are likely to come to Bangladesh, a largely muslim country, which is also secular. (I can tell, we have youth who don't care much about the faith anymore, the country is becoming increasingly open minded, and people just aren't seeing it.)

Now, can it happen? Yes I believe soo.
Lack of Investment, Bangladesh has attracted a lot of investment from big names and big countries through various sectors. We have russians coming over to help us build a satellite (and launch it), russians gazprom has also signed a deal for a nuclear power plant in the country. We have chinese making headway into our country through the padma bridge construction, which they are building, chinese are increasingly investing in our country and want to help build the biggest sea port in south asia, Sonadia deep sea port. Indians are here too, building power stations, opening factories etc.) So I question why can we attract investors our tourism industry. I question this, what's the point of attracting loads of international hotels to come to Bangladesh (which it has done exceptionally well) when there is nothing else to offer, like theme parks, and other attractions. The hotels are a problem too, as they are mainly in big cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong. we need rules and regulations to be put into place to direct investment towards perserving our history, heritage and culture and making new attractions which can get international attention.)
Imagery of the country is being slowly challenged by our youth. Lovedesh.com is run by yasmin choudary and her goal is to present 3rd world countries in a positive light, she started as a website/blogger and now runs a tour operation business, where she sells packages to these countries, her main priority being Bangladesh, there is also the positivelight.Bangladesh campaign, which is a crowdsourced website, where Bangladeshis can post photos of Bangladesh and get it seen by the masses, they've nearly raised enough money, for a book.
Religion, we know religion can play a big and small facotr, but it really depends on the people, and their country, and what it has to offer, look at Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, these are some of the hottest destinations for travellers and have been for a while, so I beg the question, why can'y Bangladeshi, if these muslim majority countries have a thriving sector, why can't we? I just read last week, Egypt and Greece signed a tourism partnership/circuit sort of thing where both countries will aid each other in promoting each others country, this is beneficial to both the countries, because of both the countries economic and political situation (which is bad) and I'm just like, why can't we have this with India and Myanmar... I thinks it's that lack or foreign relations between our country that doesn't allow the industry to flourish. We need a better SAARC and ASEAN for our area. Note: There has been many ideas put forward to intergrate our region, nepalis have asked for it, north eastern indians have asked for it.
Promoting inter-regional tourism | EDITORIAL | Financial Express :: Financial Newspaper of Bangladesh


I've actually been following Myanmar tourism industry for a while now. I think once India and Myanmar prospers, than Bangladesh will follow suit, all countries around Bangladesh have somewhat of a thriving tourism sector, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India and now Myanmar, it saddens me to see Bangladesh not flourishing as much as it's counterparts in the region, where not jumping aboard... But I think that will slowly change

I would like to congratulate Myanmar on it's boom of tourism 2-3 bln earned this (last) year alone, wow. I heard many australians and thais are coming to your country, that's great. I think Bangladesh needs to attract tourist from our region first before it can go international.

Somethings I would like to see happening between Bangladesh and Myanmar, Better cooperation in all sections, including Tourism.
A ferry route from Bangkok, via, yangon and than too coxs baxar or kuakata. An inland route (road.train) similar to this ferry route.
A buddhist tourism circuit, which involves India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.
A bridge from Cox's bazar to Maungdaw. :D

I'd like to also see an ease of Visa restrictions, and products restrictions and freedom of momment rules and regulations from our countries.

Imagine this, a tour package from Bagan, to Coxs bazar, people can take in the culture of Myanmar and than take in the culture of Bangladesh and relax.

all in all,

We need better investment, promotion and more tolerance towards tourists. When all of this happens our industry is bound to flourish, I mean look at your industry, it's a fine example of how to attract tourists.
 
We welcome you with open hands. :D...

I believe our tourism industry can be a top foreign currency earner and apparently I'm not the only Bangladeshi to think this, according to menon - "Tourism industry can make the highest contribution to the country's economy by surpassing garments sector, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon has said." I believe this to be true too.

Menon: Tourism can be top foreign currency earner | Dhaka Tribune

However of course there are things that hamper our development. A few things that hamper our development...
Lack of investment, there is lack of investment from both public and private sector to make tourism a sustainable sector.
imagery of the country, this applies to both domestic and international news papers who report on Bangladesh, normally when something positive is happening, many western outlets wont report upon it however when something negative happens, rana plaza, sundurban oil spill, a lot of western news paper will report on it, this makes our country look bad. (I've only seen the Guardian report positive staff about Bangladesh, only the Guardian)
Religion, I think Americas wars/campagins against countries such as afghanistan and Iraq has helped stem this fear of muslims into westerners, I think people automatically associate muslims with terrorism now that, thats how the media over the portrays and hence people are likely to come to Bangladesh, a largely muslim country, which is also secular. (I can tell, we have youth who don't care much about the faith anymore, the country is becoming increasingly open minded, and people just aren't seeing it.)

Now, can it happen? Yes I believe soo.
Lack of Investment, Bangladesh has attracted a lot of investment from big names and big countries through various sectors. We have russians coming over to help us build a satellite (and launch it), russians gazprom has also signed a deal for a nuclear power plant in the country. We have chinese making headway into our country through the padma bridge construction, which they are building, chinese are increasingly investing in our country and want to help build the biggest sea port in south asia, Sonadia deep sea port. Indians are here too, building power stations, opening factories etc.) So I question why can we attract investors our tourism industry. I question this, what's the point of attracting loads of international hotels to come to Bangladesh (which it has done exceptionally well) when there is nothing else to offer, like theme parks, and other attractions. The hotels are a problem too, as they are mainly in big cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong. we need rules and regulations to be put into place to direct investment towards perserving our history, heritage and culture and making new attractions which can get international attention.)
Imagery of the country is being slowly challenged by our youth. Lovedesh.com is run by yasmin choudary and her goal is to present 3rd world countries in a positive light, she started as a website/blogger and now runs a tour operation business, where she sells packages to these countries, her main priority being Bangladesh, there is also the positivelight.Bangladesh campaign, which is a crowdsourced website, where Bangladeshis can post photos of Bangladesh and get it seen by the masses, they've nearly raised enough money, for a book.
Religion, we know religion can play a big and small facotr, but it really depends on the people, and their country, and what it has to offer, look at Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, these are some of the hottest destinations for travellers and have been for a while, so I beg the question, why can'y Bangladeshi, if these muslim majority countries have a thriving sector, why can't we? I just read last week, Egypt and Greece signed a tourism partnership/circuit sort of thing where both countries will aid each other in promoting each others country, this is beneficial to both the countries, because of both the countries economic and political situation (which is bad) and I'm just like, why can't we have this with India and Myanmar... I thinks it's that lack or foreign relations between our country that doesn't allow the industry to flourish. We need a better SAARC and ASEAN for our area. Note: There has been many ideas put forward to intergrate our region, nepalis have asked for it, north eastern indians have asked for it.
Promoting inter-regional tourism | EDITORIAL | Financial Express :: Financial Newspaper of Bangladesh


I've actually been following Myanmar tourism industry for a while now. I think once India and Myanmar prospers, than Bangladesh will follow suit, all countries around Bangladesh have somewhat of a thriving tourism sector, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India and now Myanmar, it saddens me to see Bangladesh not flourishing as much as it's counterparts in the region, where not jumping aboard... But I think that will slowly change

I would like to congratulate Myanmar on it's boom of tourism 2-3 bln earned this (last) year alone, wow. I heard many australians and thais are coming to your country, that's great. I think Bangladesh needs to attract tourist from our region first before it can go international.

Somethings I would like to see happening between Bangladesh and Myanmar, Better cooperation in all sections, including Tourism.
A ferry route from Bangkok, via, yangon and than too coxs baxar or kuakata. An inland route (road.train) similar to this ferry route.
A buddhist tourism circuit, which involves India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.
A bridge from Cox's bazar to Maungdaw. :D

I'd like to also see an ease of Visa restrictions, and products restrictions and freedom of momment rules and regulations from our countries.

Imagine this, a tour package from Bagan, to Coxs bazar, people can take in the culture of Myanmar and than take in the culture of Bangladesh and relax.

all in all,

We need better investment, promotion and more tolerance towards tourists. When all of this happens our industry is bound to flourish, I mean look at your industry, it's a fine example of how to attract tourists.

Why low investment in tourism..? Don't interested in..? It can get easier and better earning with just small fund..then BD need to open more border gate to get more arrivals who transit in neighboring countries.. We received more from border than from direct hub such as international airport every year.. Almost 1m we get are from Thai border with short stay..

As for ASEAN., it will start Free Trade Area in coming months.. More investment come along with more arrivals.. So BD need to prepare for tourists from Myanmar including myanmar tourists and who visit in Myanmar and want to continue to BD.. And I think BD need more promotion for it's attractions.. Coz I just know BD has such attractive Buddhist culture.. :D Then we need closer ties between 2 nations.., especially G to G..

Singapore-Led Group Wins $1.4 Billion Myanmar Airport Deal
By Kyaw Thu Oct 29, 2014 5:17 PM GMT+0630

Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg
The Sule Pagonda, left, stands among buildings in this aerial photograph taken in... Read More

A Singapore construction company and an affiliate of Changi Airport Group won a $1.4 billion order to build a new airport in Myanmar’s Yangon as the country repairs its infrastructure after the easing of decades of sanctions.

A consortium led byYongnam Holdings Ltd. (YNH), which includes Changi Airport Planners & Engineers Ltd. and Japan’s JGC Corp. (1963), will develop the Hanthawaddy International Airport, Myanmar’s civil aviation agency said today. The group was invited to bid for the project after negotiations between the government andSouth Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corp., which was previously given the deal, broke down earlier this year.

Upgrading the airport is part of the government’s effort to create jobs in one of Asia’s poorest countries. The U.S. eased sanctions on Myanmar in 2012 and the European Union and Japan wrote off loans owed by the nation, following which Coca-Cola Co. (KO), PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) and Unilever Plc announced investments.

The new Hanthawaddy airport is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Yangon. The current Yangon International Airport is 15 kilometers from the city. The new facility will be operational in December 2019 and will be able to handle as many as 12 million passengers a year compared with the current airfield’s capacity of 2.7 million, the civil aviation agency said.

Shares Surge
The design, construction, operation and maintenance of the airport and its facilities is for a 30-year period, Yongnam said in a statement to the Singapore stock exchange. The group will now enter into discussions and negotiations with the civil aviation department to finalize the details, it said.

The consortium can get official development assistance from the Japanese government with low interest rates, Win Swe Tun, director general of the Department of Civil Aviation, said at the press conference. The group didn’t ask for any government guarantee, he said.

Yongnam shares surged in Singapore the most in more than six months before the company asked for a halt in trading. JGC rose 2.5 percent to 2,716.5 yen, the highest level in almost three weeks inTokyo.

Myanmar may need to spend some $320 billion on infrastructure by 2030 to left economic growth to 8 percent, according to McKinsey Global Institute.

Yangon’s existing airport opened a new terminal in 2007 for international travel, while a facility built in 1947 is used for domestic flights.

After President Thein Sein signed a foreign investment bill to woo overseas investors, companies scouting opportunities or striking development agreements included Visa Inc., the biggest payments network, Unilever, and closely held hotel chain Best Western International Inc. Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soda maker, opened a bottling plant and pledged investment of $200 million in Myanmar.

The nation is boosting economic, military and political ties with Western nations after years of isolation. The country transitioned to a democracy in 2012 after about five decades of military rule.

image.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom