MYANMAR

To Visit Or Not To Visit

Because of the political situation there, many people wrestle with the decision as to whether or not they should visit Myanmar. Some people advocate boycotting the country, because they fear that their money will go into the pockets of the military goverment. Other people believe that boycotting the country only hurts the people, because tourism creates jobs for those who are struggling, as well as opportunities for the Burmese people to meet people from the outside world.

At Southeast Asia Tours, we believe that individual travelers have to do what's comfortable for them.

Here's what you should know about the way we do business in Myanmar:
We direct our business through a ground operator that has its own license to operate in Myanmar; we don't use any third-party tour companies that are associated with the military government. The ground operator through which we work has created new jobs and only subcontracts with private vendors. If you want to shop, your guides will direct you to local community shops and co-ops, as opposed to department stores or souvenir shops that are operated by the government.

A Burmese contact of ours, who makes a living in the tourism industry, recently wrote to us: "We do appreciate your sending clients to Myanmar and it indeed supports us, our guides, restaurants, hotels, cars agents, flights and markets plus regional community."

If you decide that Myanmar is a place you're comfortable visiting, we can tell you that it is, arguably, the most fascinating country in Southeast Asia.

- December, 2007 -