Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

Myanmar’s dream of achieving 2 million tourist arrivals annually – seen to be an effort by the junta-led government to secure global legitimacy – is fraught with hurdles, analysts warn. Authorities have been ramping up efforts to bolster Myanmar’s tourism sector, which fell following the 2021 coup that led to widespread civil unrest across the country. Over 100,000 deaths have been logged since the crisis, according to conflict monitor Armed Conflict Location and Event Data. More than 973,000 foreign tourists visited Myanmar last year, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism said in January. Officials are hoping to nearly double that to 1.8 million this year. “We mainly expect to see a surge in Chinese and Thai visitors, so they will be a key driver of our tourism growth,” Maung Maung Kyaw, the ministry’s permanent secretary, told Bloomberg. Chinese travellers remain Myanmar’s biggest source of visitors arriving by air, followed by Thais and South Koreans, according to the Bloomberg report. This remains consistent with tourism figures in 2024, when tourists from China made up 35 per cent of inbound visitors, followed by Thailand at 15 per cent. Min Aung Hlaing’s government has made visible steps towards courting the sector. In June, the country hosted the Mekong Tourism Forum, bringing together tourism officials as well as figures from the development and private sectors from Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Myanmar also expanded its visa-on-arrival programme for travellers from China, India, Japan and South Korea late last year while Russia and most Southeast Asian countries are granted visa-free entry. Uphill battle However, analysts say that, despite claims of successful elections by the junta administration, the ongoing civil war and hardships in the country will hinder any plans to successfully rebuild its tourism industry, which saw a peak of 4.5 million tourist arrivals in 2015. “Myanmar is a mesmerisingly beautiful country … But it has suffered terribly over recent years from a complex civil war, political violence, economic hardship, societal dislocation and the devastating Mandalay earthquake,” said Gary Bowerman, director of Re:Set Strategies, a travel and tourism strategy firm specialising in Chinese and Asian markets. “The task of encouraging tourists to actually book a ticket and enter the unknown will be immense – and offering visa-free access is only part of the complex process Myanmar must undertake.” The Mekong Tourism Forum in Yangon “was undoubtedly a public relations win for the Myanmar authorities, but it is only the first step along a long and tricky road back to tourism credibility”, he said. The 2021 coup upended the trajectory for Myanmar’s tourism sector, which saw gains between 2011 and 2019, said Lucas Myers, an assistant director of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. “So long as the country remains unstable as a result of its ongoing civil war, there is a low ceiling on tourism as an industry. Although the momentum in the war has shifted over the past year, the resistance continues to oppose the government,” the geopolitical analyst said. As of last September, about 39 per cent of the country is under its junta-led government, while rebel forces and ethnic armies control 37 per cent, according to National Unity Government figures. Armed clashes persist in the rest of the areas. “It is hard to see international visitors returning in significant numbers while fighting continues throughout much of the country outside urban areas and headlines remain dominated by cyber scam centres and other safety risks,” Myers said. Myanmar faced “significant challenges related to safety and infrastructure” in trying to achieve its tourism dream, said Moe Thuzar, senior fellow and Myanmar Studies coordinator at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. “Naypyidaw is not unaware of this, and may be aiming more at attracting visitors from neighbours in the region, such as China and Thailand, and has recently entered into tourism cooperation agreements with Cambodia.” Myanmar’s tourism push goes beyond economics, according to analysts. It is also an attempt to secure recognition for its post-election government among Asean and the wider international community. “The junta is desperate for international legitimacy. Min Aung Hlaing, having made himself president this year, has recently pushed to expand his government’s foreign relations and reduce its international isolation,” Myers said. Since assuming the role, he has visited India, China and Laos, the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations member to host him as head of state. The visits were part of a larger campaign “to persuade Asean to welcome the military-controlled government back into the fold” and accept the result of its elections, Myers said. However, the ongoing civil war “remains the biggest impediment to both its overall soft power and its struggling tourism sector”, he said. The junta would likely resort to “an onslaught of public relations … in the coming months to promote tourism, now that it claims to have an election mandate”, Bowerman said. It will have “a mountain to climb” in rebuilding its reputation as a tourist destination, though. “We have seen the reputational damage Thailand has incurred through its association with Southeast Asia’s online financial crimes and scam centres,” Bowerman said. “Myanmar is recognised as the regional epicentre of the scam industry, and it will struggle to shake that off no matter how much it shines the light on temples and pilgrimage sites.” The junta was “simply forcing” tourism to reopen, said a Myanmar-based tourism practitioner who requested anonymity. “Electricity is available for only about eight hours a day. Absolutely nothing is ready,” the operator said, adding that areas such as Bagan, Mingun, Sagaing and Myaing were still experiencing conflicts. Any efforts to revive the sector “will only benefit the junta and their cronies”, the operator said. Local communities were excluded “especially since people are being displaced everywhere”.

Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021

Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021