Sherpa Hossainy, Fishermen at Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s top tourist destinations.
LuxDev, the aid and development agency of the government of Luxembourg, has planned a budget of €5 million to build capacity and develop human resources in Myanmar’s tourism and hospitality sector, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.
“The budget will be handled by LuxDev. Trainings on technical knowhow for tourism sector will be delivered. It has recently been planned for tourism and hospitality sector,” Dr Tin Shwe, deputy minister for hotels and tourism, told Myanmar Business Today.
“Our department is still in need of hands-on experience,” the minister said.
Delegates from Luxembourg visited Myanmar last month and discussed with hospitality and tourism sector insiders.
The implementation of these programs will occur over the course of five years and involve the sharing of technical knowhow, supporting tourism-related programs at universities and vocational training, and promoting capacity in private sector tourism.
U Tin Tun Aung, secretary of Myanmar Travel Association said, “Banking and money transfer facilities needs to be developed in major tourism areas. Only with the development of online facilities and credit cards could we match the tourism sector of other countries. Our services in these areas are very poor. Tourists prefer swift services.”
According to the statistics of Myanmar Travel Federation, number of incoming tourists via Yangon International Airport till the end of May totaled over half a million, mostly from Asian countries.
“Online-based businesses are rare in Myanmar. If we keep going on like this, we will be left behind in the Asian tourism sector. Many countries, including European countries, are trying to support the Myanmar tourism sector but we still don’t have the technical knowhow to cope with the overall business.
“Technological support is needed not only in tourism sector but also in small scale and medium scale industries,” said Daw Sabei Aung, managing director of Nature Dream Travels & Tour Co Ltd.