Licences to operate guesthouses and hotels will be issued in Chin state as part of the plan to promote the tourism industry in Myanmar’s most impoverished state, a minister said.
To promote the development of nature-based tourism in Chin state, new licences to develop and operate accommodation services will be granted while the existing guest houses will be provided with licences to receive foreigners after they have been upgraded to be able to cater to foreign visits, minister for environmental conservation and forestry U Win Tun said.
“Business licences will be issued after the lodgings in Chin state are upgraded to a standard fitting for foreigners. We have also planned to assess the tour trips in the state,” the minister said.
Chin state provides few accommodations for visitors and foreigners visiting the popular heart-shaped Reed Lake are facing difficulty in finding a place to spend a night.
As part of the plan tourism in Chin, the government together with the Union of Myanmar Tourism Association (UMTA) will implement promoting activities, excursion programs and facilitate the cooperation between local and foreign tour operators to attract the visitors.
As the government has been opening up more local areas for tourists since 2011, Kanpatlat and Mintat townships and the town areas of Tedim, Tonzna, Kyikhar, Phalam, Reedkhawda, Htatalan and Hakha became accessible to foreign tourists without the need for any documents in 2013.
However tourists still need to ask for approvals to tour the environs of the above towns and official permits are also required for Palatwa township and Same, Matupi and Yayzwar sub-townships.
Myanmar has designated 37 areas as natural conservation zones, of which 21 are being developed as nature-based tourist destinations to deliver development and job opportunities to the locals.
