Why go to Myanmar?
PaddleAsia has been invited by Shambhala
Co., Ltd, one of Myanmar’s leading private (non-government)
tour operators, to run our small group eco tours in Southern Myanmar.
The government of Myanmar plans to develop resorts on several
of the islands in the Southern Mergui group and they also want
to offer environmentally-friendly trips in the area as well.
Human rights in Myanmar is an issue. There are
many who advocate boycotting the entire country. We are not into
politics. This is not saying that we don’t care about human
rights abuses occurring in Myanmar. We are very aware of the need
for change. However, tourism is one of the few industries to which
ordinary Burmese can produce income. From meeting the people we
plan to work with, we feel that they should have the right to
pursue their dreams of running quality tours in the region of
the southern Mergui islands for monetary gain. We will be using
private, locally-owned accommodations, transportation and other
services.
Furthermore, isolating Myanmar from international tourists
doesn’t help political liberalization. Boycotts have been
going on for more than a decade. Have they helped? Perhaps, it
is time to give another method a try. Perhaps it is time to give
tourism a chance.
"What boycott
advocates don't seem to realize is there isn't a single
indication that isolation will work in Burma's case," says
Joe Cummings, author of the Lonely Planet guidebook to Myanmar.
"Will isolation lead to democracy? Most likely it will turn
the clock back, not forward."
Excerpt taken from http://www.gluckman.com/Burma.html
Thailand and Myanmar have begun
a joint venture promoting
tourism to the Mergui Archipelago. The Thai Ministry of Tourisms
is taking a proactive economic diplomatic position. According
to Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, “Peaceful environment, harmonious
relations, and trust with all neighbouring countries constitute
one of Thailand's top strategic priorities in the field of foreign
relations.”
Excerpt taken from The New Nation
– Bangladesh’s Independent News Source http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_8606.shtml
 PaddleAsia
is not jumping into Myanmar with both feet just yet.
We hope to run some trips and see how things materialize. We will
be constantly appraising the pros and cons of our operation. Perhaps
once the military realizes that money can be made from tourism,
they’ll stop being so repressive. This is our goal/dream.
We welcome all input and opinions on this matter.
We remain open-minded and willing to hear all sides of the argument
on whether to proceed with our plans.
We are first and foremost into preserving nature through
our environmentally-friendly tours. The Mergui Archipelago is
one of the most pristine environments in all of SE Asia. It needs
to be protection. It won’t be preserved if responsible tour
operators like us don’t start producing income for the country.
It’s sad, but it seems like
the only way a natural setting gets protected is if it can produce
income. Saving the few remaining unspoiled places left on earth
is only going to happen if these areas can show their ‘value’
in tourist dollars. We wish it was different.
 We
wish that people would love the planet enough to keep
what’s left in its current state or improved to what it
used to be like. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, humans
cannot live independent of nature. Scientists cannot make water
or air. Many of our actions upon nature are irreversible. The
Mergui Archipelago could be Myanmar's example in sustainable eco
tourism. By saving this pristine area, the people of Myanmar benefit
in the long run. It's the big picture that really counts.
Click here to read about our Myanmar
kayaking survey trip.
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