Local tourism businesses that have complied with COVID-19 safety guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports should be officially recognized for doing so, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said during the celebration of World Tourism Day 2020 held on September 25. Vice president U Henry Van Thio suggested that firms in the travel industry focus on community-based tourism packages to capture new demand when the industry resumes again.
As such, being recognized as safe and compliant with the government measures will be advantageous for firms when the tourism industry resumes again. With international flights suspended and the global tourism industry likely to take anywhere between two and eight years to recover, based on the World Trade Organization’s forecast, Myanmar can no longer rely on foreign tourists to boost the industry tourism entrepreneurs agreed with the vice president’s suggestion to leverage on domestic and community-based tourism in Myanmar.
“During this period, the tour companies are facing their most challenging times. Some tour firms have even changed their business lines for survival”, said U Naung Naung Han, chair of Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneur Association. The number of tourists to Myanmar has declined by 65 percent since the first half of the year, data showed.
Source: Myanmar Times