Myanmar organises fourth Heritage Trail Rally

YANGON – For the fourth time, Myanmar will host its Myanmar Heritage Trail Tourism Rally. During the Rally, a group of drivers will make a road trip through some of the lesser known places of Myanmar. Media will also cover the Rally to increase the visibility of the event.

The main purpose of hosting the event is to market and promote Myanmar for the benefit of the entire tourism industry. Through the Rally, MTM tries to increase the public awareness of lesser known tourist destinations in Myanmar, at home and abroad. The Rally is also meant to show Myanmar as an ecological tourism destination.

In recent years, the roads in Myanmar have been greatly improved. In the past, a lot of roads were inaccessible, especially during the green season. Nowadays, the roads in Myanmar are accessible year-round, which makes the green season an even better time to visit the country.

The Rally will start in Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon. The former capital is a lively city rising since the economic liberalisation of Myanmar. The most important sight of the city is the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the most important Buddhist stupas in the world. Furthermore, Yangon is known for its colonial buildings in its downtown district, which is packed with food and book venders, open-air markets and temples, mosques and churches existing next to each other.

The first stop of the Rally will be the seaside town Dawei. Dawei is a really upcoming town, because of the Dawei Special Economic Zone, which consists of creating a deep-sea port rivalling with Singapore’s and creating the largest industrial zone in Southeast Asia.

Afterwards, the route continues to Myeik, a peninsula in the Andaman Sea. Myeik has been an important international port for over 500 years. It has a long trading history and therefore has a very multicultural population. The rich history of the city is also reflected by its architecture, varying from mosques and churches to traditional wooden homes and colonial mansions. The city is also home to a large fishing fleet and is the centre of the pearl industry of Myanmar. It is also the gateway to the Myeik Archipelago.

After the important port city of Myeik, the next stop is the small port of Kawthoung, which is the southernmost point of Myanmar’s mainland. It is separated from Thailand by the Pagyan River. Just as Myeik, Kawthoung is another gateway to the Myeik Archipelago.

On the fourth day, the participants of the Rally will be doing a lot of activities in Kawthoung as well as visiting the islands of the Myeik Archipelago. The islands are known for its pearls and marine products, but the main attraction of the islands are the untapped beaches. Most islands are uninhabited, but some have tiny villages with mixed populations.

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