Hill trustees shelve fee for now

12 Oct 2013  2034 | World Travel News

Mandalay Hill’s curators have postponed indefinitely the collection of a fee they intended to levy on all foreign visitors.

The board of trustees said it was postponing the foreign visitor fee of 2,000 kyat because construction of facilities that would have justified payment had not been completed in time.

Services that were supposed to justify charging an extra fee included two viewing areas and the renovation of escalators and lifts.

However, it is very likely that the board deferred the decision in response to criticism by the travel trade and even some government officials who are concerned about individual historical sites adding their own fees to cash in on a tourism boom.

The Mandalay Hill trustees said they had no idea when the new fee would be introduced. From the travel trade perspective they would prefer new fees be introduced in November 2014 to give adequate warning. Most tour companies have already factored in the cost of entry fees at attractions into their 2013 peak season tours that start this month.

Mandalay Hill is one of those must-see attractions that complete the holiday experience to Myanmar’s second largest city. The hill dominates the immediate landscape surrounding the inner city. It is topped by pagodas, viewing points and clusters of stalls selling snacks and cheap handicrafts.

The sunset views of the town and river attract tourists who take converted pick-up trucks that carry up to 15 people per trip to the summit car park. The alternative is to walk which takes around 30 minutes.

Once at the peak, the trustees collect 1,000 kyat as a camera fee, but many tourists simply say they are not going to take photos, or argue they have already paid a blanket fee to visit all the historical sites in Mandalay.

The board of trustees said the new fee would replace the camera fee and would be used entirely for the up-keep of the hill and to improve facilities for tourists.

Myanmar Tourist Guides Association in Man¬dalay zone secretary, U Win Zaw Oo, was quoted earlier saying he had sent a letter containing suggestions on the collection of the new fee.

“Foreigners could misunderstand the reason for the fee. That is why we sent our suggestions.”

According to tourist guides, foreigners visiting the Maha Myat Muni Image have to pay 1,000 kyat in addition to the current fees to visit Mandalay Hill and tourists are not fully satisfied with what they get for the fees paid.

Each foreign tourist pays 10,000 kyat to allow them to visit sites in Mandalay, Amarapura, Inwa, and Paleik over five days. The fees are usually paid for by travel companies and are included  in the overall cost of the tour.

It is only when visitors travel on their own free-and-easy itineraries that  they become aware of the fees they need to pay. There is little information available in English at sites leaving it up to the free-lance guides to explain to visitors what they need to pay.

Mandalay, the second largest city after Yangon, is a major top destination and has attracted the attention of airlines that are now offering direct flights from Bangkok and Singapore. The city serves a gateway for overland tours to Bagan or river cruises.

Thai Air Asia offers a daily flight from its base at Don Mueang Airport Bangkok. THAI Smile and Bangkok Airways operate four flights weekly each on the route out of Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok.

There are also international flights from Singapore to Mandalay.

Sourced: ttrweekly

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