Myanmar polishes hotel stars

Regional travel to Myanmar will peak for the 27th SEA Games this December as sports enthusiasts gather for the week of athletics.
The games will be held in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, as well as in two other  cities Yangon and Mandalay. The event will attract participants and spectators from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar.
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and Myanmar Hoteliers Association is carrying out an advance inspection of selected hotels in the country as part of the government’s strategy to ensure they meet an acceptable standard for foreign visitors.
Local media quoted Yangon Hotel Zone, of Myanmar Hoteliers Association chairman, Tin Win, as saying: “We will recommend upgrades and improvements to bring hotels up to tourist standard as quickly as possible.”
“First we are going to inspect hotels together with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism…we are going to do this work dividing into two groups.”
Myanmar will host the 27th SEA Games at the end of this year and so tourist arrivals will increase more than ever.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism last June, there were 826 licensed hotels with 29,999 rooms across the country.
However, there are only five five-star hotels in Myanmar and they are all owned by foreigners.
In 2011, hotel standards were identified and 11 hotels were awarded four-star status, 56 hotels three-star level, 49 two-star level and 69 one-star level. The hotels in Yangon, Mandalay, Taunggyi and Bagan were assessed by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.
Hotels have been accused of overcharging and  delivering poor service and this has prompted the government to establish hotel zones to encourage international investment in new properties.
New hotel projects are also lined up in Yangon, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Bagan and Ngapali. Big hotel chains such as Accor, Marriott, Hilton, Best Western and HAGL are negotiating entry with new brands unseen in the country over the last 40 years.
The government projects 7.5 million tourists by 2020. According a tourism ministry report, last year’s arrivals passed 1 million for the first time and tourism revenue reached US$700 million.

Sourced: ttrweekly