Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The bottom line, therefore, is that Myanmar is still a deeply unjust society, and that, like it
or not, at least a little of your money will end up in the wrong hands. On the other hand, the
positives
of visiting the country as it begins to re-enter the global mainstream can't be over-
stated. Your money, spent carefully, will be of enormous benefit to local communities, and
your mere presence will also be massively appreciated by many, given the long decades of
isolation suffered by the Burmese people. Perhaps most importantly, the growing contribu-
tion of tourist dollars to the national coffers makes it increasingly likely that a proper demo-
cracy will eventually be established as the military and their cronies come to appreciate the
economic benefits
of a fair and open society free of Western sanctions.
Where does your money go?
Like it or not, if you visit Myanmar you will at some stage be obliged to give money directly
to the government. You pay the government for your visa fee, and also for the multi-sight
entrance tickets in Bagan, Mandalay, Mrauk U and elsewhere - places that are probably the
mainreasonyou'revisitinginthefirstplace-nottomentionmanyothersightsandmuseums
around the country, plus train tickets and permits to visit restricted areas.
Fees directly levied by the government are merely the tip of a much larger and messier ice-
berg, however. Large swathes of the Myanmar economy - including its banks, airlines and
many top-end hotels - are owned by companies with close links to the regime and generally
run by businessmen, the so-called
cronies
, who have grown spectacularly rich through their
linkstothegeneralsoverthepasttwodecades.Takeadomesticflight,withdrawmoneyfrom
an ATM or stay in an upmarket hotel, and you'll be contributing to their coffers.
On the other hand, it's also possible to argue the case
for
crony-linked businesses such as
airlines and hotels, unpalatable though it might sound. These employ thousands of ordinary
Burmese untainted by the regime, and whose livelihood depends upon their continued em-
ployment, however unsavoury the companies they work for.
Establishingexactlywhohasfingersinwhichparticularpieisnotalwayseasy,althoughex-
cellent background on Myanmar's spider's web of crony capitalism and other ethical issues
can be found at
tourismtransparency.org
.
Accommodation
NoaccommodationinMyanmarisentirelyclean,fromanethicalstandpoint.Allguesthouses
and hotels require a
government licence
to accept foreign guests, meaning that even when
staying in the cheapest family-run guesthouse available you will still be contributing
(howevermodestly)togovernmentcoffers.Stayingintop-endaccommodationisparticularly
problematic. Many places are owned by crony businessmen, while some were built on ex-
propriatedlandusingforcedlabour.Someupmarketestablishmentsmayclaimtobeethically
clean, although it's often impossible to determine exactly what has been paid and to whom
