A multi-stakeholder workshop on Responsible Tourism and Human Rights in Myanmar was held in Naypyidaw from 30 September to 2 October by the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

1. Tourism development and
land use in Myanmar
Challenges and Opportunities
Dr. Andrea Valentin
1st October 2015
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2. At a glance
• Tourism in Myanmar is rising, but probably not
to the extent officially reported
• What’s most needed? Infrastructure, capacity
and sustainable destination management
• PLUS professionalizing tourism management 
for tourism to be responsible, benefits must be
distributed widely (SMEs), not held in the hands
of elite group
• Tourism can offer a path out of poverty for
marginalized groups  tourism’s labour force,
particularly women, and conservation projects
focusing on eco- and community-based tourism2

3. …Two Parallel Worlds
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
ON PAPER
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
ON THE GROUND
Responsible Tourism Policy 2012 Tourism development projects are being called to
follow the principles of responsible tourism, but
land displacements in the name of tourism
continue in many areas
Myanmar Tourism Master Plan 2013 Lack of transparency about process of
implementation
Policy on Community Involvement in
Tourism 2013
Very encouraging! Projects are being
implemented based on CIT Policy, but tensions
remain about implementation in minority areas
and post-conflict zones
Ecotourism Policy (drafted 2014/2015) ? Not officially launched yet despite conference
B&B Policy (drafted 2014) ? Draft developed but status unknown
Tourism Law (drafted 2014/2015) ? Draft law to be passed to parliament?
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4. What can happen?
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• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
– Positives: Conservation areas established to preserve natural heritage,
tourism as a way to raise awareness on environmental values
– Negatives: Pollution, degradation, deforestation, pesticides, unsustainable
resource use (water, land)
• SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACTS
– Positives: can serve as a supportive force for peace, foster pride in cultural
traditions and help avoid urban relocation by creating local jobs
– Negatives: changes in value systems and behaviour and thereby
threatening indigenous identity, commodification of culture, staged
authenticity, crime, prostitution
• ECONOMIC IMPACTS
– Positives: creates jobs, opportunities for SMEs, tax revenues (can be used
for health and education), foreign exchange earnings
– Negatives: leakage, enclave tourism, high infrastructure cost, increase in
prices, seasonality, dependence on tourism at the expense of losing
traditional livelihoods

5. Why destinations rise
and fall in popularity
• Unplanned and uncontrolled tourism
• Unsustainable development
• Unequal benefits
 IT IS UNWISE TO LEAVE DESTINATIONS TO
MARKET FORCES
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6. Many issues, e.g.:
Coastal challenge
• Coastal tourism will likely attract masses of tourists
• Extremely vulnerable ecosystems
• Unplanned and uncoordinated hotel construction,
displacement of locals, waste dumping, careless boating,
diving, snorkeling
• Once destroyed it is very very difficult to recover

7. Heritage degradation
• Yangon, Myanmar
• 3 million + tourist arrivals 2014
• Rapid growth since 2010
• Vast construction but also strong
efforts to preserve unique cityscape

8. Plans for Hotel Zones
U Yan Win, Chairman of MTF, confirmed in January 2015 that a total of
20 hotel zones are to be constructed throughout Myanmar:
“There have been a lot of changes to the tourism
industry. […] We have set up new hotel zones to cope
with the increase in visitors. At the moment, there are
now 15 hotel zones [one each in all 14 states and
regions, and two in Ayeyarwady Region – Ngwe Saung
and Chaung Tha].
In the New Year, we will establish four more hotel zones
– one in Myitkyina, Kachin State, one in Lashio,
northern Shan State, another one in Monywa, Sagaing
Region and another one in Magwe, Magwe Region.”
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9. tourismtransparency.org 9
Planned
Hotel
Zones in
Myanmar

10. Inle Hotel Zone
tourismtransparency.org 10

11. Inle Hotel Zone
• More than 5,000 new hotel rooms are to be added to Inle lake.
• Tourism businesses are concerned. Much discontent from many sides,
including tourists. The construction site is a scar on the hills and an
eyesore for those visiting the lake.
• The lack of adequate consultations with land owners is most concerning.
• The pace of development is concerning. More than 20 new hotels and
guesthouses have been constructed in Nyaungshwe already, plus 87 high-
end hotels are planned in the Hotel Zone. Over-capacity?!
• The lack of transparency about the project is concerning. Data on who the
investors are, what construction regulations the hotels would be subject
to etc, are elusive.
• Farmers who owned the land of the 622-acre Inle hotel zone were to be
paid compensation on the basis of the cultivated area and the type of
crops, which was to be based upon three years projected production. But
farmers say they were inadequately compensated and lost access to their
land as it has been seized by the government and leased to developers to
build the zone.
• Currently construction of the hotel zone is ongoing, despite protests.
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12. Southern Myanmar
A ‘Phuket-style’ resort is planned on an island off
Kawthoung, in the very South of Myanmar.
Zochwell, a Singaporean construction company, has
received permission from MIC for ‘Lux Dream Island’
“The project envisages development of marina,
beach resorts and villas, luxury hotels, sea plane
facilities, ultra-modern adventure and sea sports
centers and even a golf course. The modern
integrated casino will be a natural attraction for
the rich and famous.”
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13. Phuket & Singapore - best practice examples
for Mergui archipelago development?
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14. Hotel Zone plans for
emerging destinations?
• Natmataung National
Park, Chin State 
construction is taking
place
• Dawei – most beach
areas on the peninsula
have been sold
• Land speculation in
Indawgyi Wildlife
Sanctuary, with four
zones being discussed
Fragile ecosystems
Post-conflict zones
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15. Myanmar government should consider
whether they are paying sufficient
attention to sustainable tourism
development, and whether current
tourism plans adequately embrace
concerns about land.
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16. Tourism’s Impact on Land
• Land will need to be acquired to develop
tourism infrastructure and to meet the
increase in tourism demand. This will
generate jobs - the tourism industry has
good potential for poverty alleviation.
• BUT responsible tourism development
should be grounded in historical facts,
providing a chance to learn from past
mistakes.
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17. Historical context
• In 1994, 500 families were displaced from their homes in Yangon to build
hotels in preparation of ‘Visit Myanmar Year 1996’ (COHRE, 2007) to
prevent tourists from seeing the scale of poverty (Barnett, 2008), and
through the beautification of major tourist destinations (Henderson, 2003).
• Many families in the historic sites of Mandalay and Amarapura faced
similar land-grab problems (COHRE, 2007).
• In 1989 in Chaung Tha beach land was confiscated for a hotel project but
never compensated. In 2012 villagers protested against this past land grab
to no avail.
• In 1994 in preparation for the Visit Myanmar Year 1996, residents of ‘Old
Bagan' were forced to relocate to the newly created ‘New Bagan’, also
resulting in attempted protests at the time.
• In 2000, farm land in Ngwe Saung beach was confiscated for the
development of hotels.
• In the same year 36 acres of land were seized by the military from locals in
Ngapali beach, Rakhine State, at the time with the understanding that it
would be returned if the military was no longer using it. This promise was
broken when in 2014 the land was leased to Myanmar hotel groups. 17

18. Unrestrained tourism
development will intensify
land conflicts in Myanmar
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19. Land Rights and Tourism
• Common struggles across different sectors.
However, tourism is special
• Reputational risks pose huge threats for
international tourism companies – meanwhile,
responsible tourism is on the rise. Due diligence
must be undertaken, esp. in relation to land
• The vague legal frameworks, the lack of rule of
law and basic land rights are the main reasons
international investors remain cautious  “Are
hotel zones economically viable?”
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20. Enhanced due diligence
is necessary
Why?
• The historical legacy (and to some extent on-going suppression of
protests with respect to land);
• The lack of a uniform and accessible land registry establishing
land ownership;
• The lack of full recognition of customary ownership;
• The significance of land based livelihoods and attachment to
ancestral lands.
Companies need to engage in extensive “ground truthing”. This
entails direct consultation with villagers, community and religious
leaders, as well as local authorities, and may be best conducted
informally and 1:1.
MCRB Land Briefing 2015
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21. Tourism Destination
Management
= To manage the various components of a local tourist
destination in a way that ensures economic profitability,
while avoiding degradation of the factors that have
created its competitive position.
• Organization of local resources
• Coordination of local tourism production
• Management of relations among stakeholders
• Market segmentation and product lines
• Management of the value produced by tourism for all actors involved

22. Tourism Master Plan
Strategic Projects for Implementation, 2013–2020 (pg.63)
Strategic Program 3: Strengthen Safeguards and Procedures for Destination Planning and
Management
17. Tourism Management Planning in
Emerging Destinations
This project will build the capacity of
destination management organizations by
imparting methods, tools, and approaches
needed by key stakeholders to design
integrated destination management plans in
four emerging destinations. It will identify
investment needs and opportunities for local
community involvement in tourism, and work
with private operators to develop tourism
activities that protect the social, cultural,
and environmental resources of the
destination.
MOHT, state/regional governments
Budget: $3.0
18. Tourism Destination Management
Planning Support
This project will strengthen the capacity of
Government agencies, private operators,
and civil society to conduct participatory
planning and prepare tourism destination
management plans. Working through DMOs,
the project will develop innovative methods
and tools suitable for Myanmar and train
key stakeholders in their application. Model
tourism destination management plans will
be prepared for four flagship destinations.
MOHT, state/regional governments
Budget: $4.0
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23. • Tourism Destination Management Plans have
been or are being created for Bagan, Inle,
Mandalay, and Kayah State
• However, currently no destination
management organisation exists in Myanmar
 could form part of the decentralization
process  technical support is needed to
operate DMOs in Myanmar
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Following up

24. Conclusion
• Government and tourism private sector do not yet abide by their own
responsible tourism standards.
• Environmental and social impact assessments are rarely conducted.
• The local population is not consulted and is informed insufficiently of
projects. No consultation procedure exists that involves the local
population and allows their participation.
• Freedom of movement is denied to local communities in some emerging
tourist destinations. Fishing opportunities are significantly restricted.
• Hotel zones provide only a limited income for the local population. The
majority of hotel employees originate from other regions.
• Grievance mechanisms do not exist at all.
• The role of women and their engagement in employment opportunities
are marginalised by the top-down tourism development process.
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25. Opportunities for
Government
• Tourism authorities must abide by their own norms and policies. EIAs and SIAs are
essential. Pre-project approval consultations with local communities and civil
society in tourism destinations are the first steps of responsible tourism.
• Government should make sure that stakeholders know what is expected of them.
The responsible tourism policy and others should be clearly disseminated.
• Establish participatory structures through which government works with other
stakeholders to plan, develop and manage tourism in a sustainable and inclusive
manner.
• Work in effective partnerships with local destinations. It is at the local level where
tourism needs to be effectively integrated into sustainable development 
Decentralization of tourism management, establishment of DMOs
• Integrate sustainable land use in policy documents. Gaps and deficiencies should
be identified and addressed accordingly.
• The commitment to change and improvement must be genuine and based on
actions that can be delivered.
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26. Opportunities for
Tourism Businesses
• Take note of policies and seek to improve your own performance
and actions in line with the principles of responsible tourism.
• Enact due diligence and address human rights deficits.
• Apply international standards and guidance during any land
processes.
• Hotels must not be built on grabbed land  Introduce grievance
mechanisms and provide remedy to the affected parties for any
human rights violations committed.
• Work together to strengthen tourism businesses collective response
– the private sector is best placed to influence the awareness and
actions of visitors; they have a very important role to play to take
responsible tourism action.
• Tourism will not become more sustainable without the tourism
private sectors’ active commitment and response to the challenges
of land tenure.
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27. Opportunities for
Civil Society
• = Civil society groups can build bridges between
government, the private sector and local communities. They
have a very valuable role to play in the execution of
responsible tourism, e.g. research and capacity building.
• Adopt a collaborative approach with govt and private sector
to ensure that local communities are protected
• Call on tourism stakeholders to protect the human rights of
those affected by irresponsible tourism development.
• Use relevant Conventions that Myanmar is party to when
pressing legal claims against land grabs. These conventions
Myanmar has ratified and in any land conflict, where it is
possible, CSOs could argue that the land has cultural,
environmental, or natural heritage value.
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28. Thank you.
andrea@tourismtransparency.org
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