At present, tourists arrivals have reached around 3 million a year and the country is straining to cater to the influx.
Officials are desperate to maintain quality and not to fall into the “Thailand-style” trap of mass tourism regardless of the cost to culture and lifestyle.
But the prediction of 20 million within the next 15 years will seriously challenge the resolve to concentrate on sustainable tourism.
Domestic travel is also expected to grow to 29.3 million over the next 15 years, putting even more pressure on accommodation and transport.
The government bases its estimates on a master plan and many of the policies in the plan are already being implemented to reach the 2030 goals. The master plan was written with the assistance of the Norwegian government and the Asian Development Bank.
However, estimates by Myanmar’s Hotel and Tourism Ministry differ, placing the projected number of visitors by 2030 at only 7 million.
Myanmar’s hotel and tourism sector has grown steadily since the country opened its doors to foreign investment three years ago. The hotel and tourism sector has generated US$940 million (B28.2 billion) with 85 per cent of that revenue earned by private firms that control most of the activities in tourism, including aviation.
Hotel and Tourism Minister Htay Aung said the ministry expects the country will earn more than US$1 billion (B30 billion) this year.
Last year, there were 2.04 million international tourist arrivals to the country earning US$926 million (B27 billion) in tourism income. TTR Weekly