Date: 1999/04/26
Forum: rec.travel.asia
IRRAWADDY: WISH YOU WOULDN'T GO THERE
March, 1999
VOL7 NO 3
JOHN JACKSON OF BURMA CAMPAIGN [UK] RECENTLY MET WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI IN RANGOON TO DISCUSS THE NLD'S POLICIES ON TOURISM TO BURMA. THE IRRAWADDY SPOKE WITH HIM IN BANGKOK BEFORE HIS RETURN TO LONDON, TO FIND OUT WHAT HE LEARNED FROM MEETING THE OPPOSITION LEADER AND OTHER BURMESE AROUND THE COUNTRY.
IS BURMA BEING HEAVILY PROMOTED AS A POSSIBLE DESTINATION FOR BRITISH
TOURISTS?
There are a number of tour companies, especially in Britain, which are now trying to promote tours of Burma, and there's been recent interest in some television programs also showing luxury tours in Burma. The "Orient Express" luxury tour up the Irrawaddy was going to be featured on one of the most popular travel shows, called "Wish You Were Here." Luckily, we were able to speak with them and persuade them that that was not a good idea, and that tourism into Burma at the moment is inappropriate. But there's something like fifty tour operators in Britain who are now trying to promote tours into Burma.
WHILE YOU WERE IN BURMA, YOU SPOKE TO DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI. HOW STRONGLY
DID SHE COME OUT AGAINST EFFORTS TO PROMOTE TOURISM IN BURMA?
I think we were very impressed with how clearly she thought about the whole issue, and how willing she was to be very strong about the problem of tour operators promoting tours to Burma and pretending that it's something more than making a profit, actually suggesting that they're interested in what's best for the Burmese people and that they're interested in a future transition to democracy. She was very clear that their agenda is about profit and they should be honest about that. To suggest that people can teach Burmese people about their own situation, she was quite right in saying it's not just patronizing, it's also racist.
HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS THE CAMPAIGN TO TURN BURMA INTO A TOURIST DESTINATION
BEEN? HAS THERE BEEN MUCH OF AN INFLUX SINCE "VISIT MYANMAR YEAR"?
Most of the people we spoke to, Burmese people, who are involved in the
tourist industry, said that 1998 was one of the worst years. Ninety-six and ninety-seven were better, there were more people coming, but now there's been a massive dip. When we visited luxury hotels in Rangoon and in other cities, they were almost empty, and so were some of the restaurants that were catering for foreign visitors. On a number of occasions we would be the only people sitting in the restaurant. So the promotion of tourism to Burma has obviously failed quite dramatically. I think that the regime has tried its best to increase its revenues through tourism but that's obviously not working.
WHAT DO THINK ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN OUTSIDERS AND BURMESE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS TO FOREIGNERS? SHOULD THERE BE ANY CONNECTION?
What I would say is that the majority of people that we spoke to who worked in the tourist industry or who had contact with foreigners accepted that they quite liked foreigners, and they had nothing personally against them, but they believed that in the long run, they thought it was still quite important that foreigners didn't come and give money to the regime, which you have to do when you visit Burma. You have to transfer $300 to the regime. So most people, although they knew they could personally benefit from tourists coming in, accepted that they would prefer these tourists not to come.
