HOUSE OF THE WEEK

An abundance of space at FMI City

CERTAINLY, space is not a problem in this house – once you get there. Over the Hlaing River, 45 minutes from downtown, there is a large one-storey house in a big compound waiting for someone ready to trade time for space. ...more

Yangon Weather Forecast, Burma

Tourists uncover our hidden corner

REMOTE Kayah State saw a sharp rise in foreign tourists in 2009 and more travel agencies are now including the region on their itineraries, industry sources said last month.

Kayah State, with its vibrant cultural heritage, pristine scenery and lack of development, saw about twice as many tourists last year compared to 2008, said tour guide U Htay Aung, who works out of Minmahaw guesthouse in the capital Loikaw.

“There were only about four or five agents who arranged packages to Kayah State in 2008 but last year that rose to about 30 agents,” U Htay Aung said.

“Foreign independent travellers are still not allowed to visit the area yet. This year, there were more Spanish tourists in the rainy season. And now travellers from other European countries have been arriving since October,” he said.

“Tourists particularly like the scenic boat trip from Nyaungshwe to Pekon in Shan State, which takes about four hours. There is a lot of breathtaking natural scenery as well as cultural attractions, like floating markets and villages such as Saga (Samka)."

While in Loikaw, tourists can also learn about the culture of the Padaung tribes and visit the Sawbwa palace, Taung Gwe Pagoda on Thiri Mingalar sacred mountain, weaving workshops and the Catholic cathedral.

Before 2008, Kayah State was classified as a “black area”, which meant it was completely off-limits to foreigners.

Visitors are still restricted from travelling outside of Loikaw, U Htay Aung said, adding that many foreigners had told him they were interested in seeing remote Padaung villages.

He said the increase in visitors had led to an accommodation shortage in the capital Loikaw, where only two guesthouses are licensed to accept foreign tourists.

He said the two guesthouses had a licensed capacity of less than 30 guests.
“If the government loosens travel restrictions to allow foreign indepen-dent travellers then we will definitely need more guesthouses and hotels allowed to accept foreign guests,” he said.

Accommodation is particularly tight around Kayah State Day on January 15, a spokesperson from Minmahaw guesthouse said last month.

“We are already full around State Day and have tried to transfer guests to the other guesthouse,” the spokesperson said.
Daw Aye Aye San, a spokesperson from Loikaw’s Nawaday Motel – the only other premises in the city licensed to accept foreigner – said in late December they were also fully booked during the mid-January festival.

“Our motel got a licence to accept foreign guests in August. Since then we’ve had 13 tourist groups, ranging in numbers from two to eight travellers. But in January all our rooms, which can take up to 22 people, are fully reserved,” Daw Aye Aye San said.

The Kayah State Day festival sees local tribes gather in the capital Loikaw for a day of traditional dancing, zat pwe, music concerts and sporting events.

This year Kayah State Day coincides with an international hot air balloon festival, to be held from January 15-18, which has further exacerbated the accommodation shortage.

Other popular holidays in Kayah State include the full moon day of Tabaung, which in 2010 will fall on February 27, and the Ka Htoo Bo nat festival on April 14.

U Tint Naung, the managing director of Golden Express Tours, agreed there was a need to develop more accommodation in Loikaw, particularly hotel-standard options.

“Hotel-standard accom-modation and restaurants are businesses needed for the development of Kayah State’s tourism sector. The accommodation options at the moment are just guesthouses, not actual hotels. More transportation options like direct flights would also improve tourism in the area. Kayah State has rich resources to attract the tourist such as pleasant weather, lots of cultural heritage and good, fresh food,” he said.

Tour guide U Aung Tun Lin, from Yangon-based Orchestra Travel, said many guests were now adding Loikaw to their southern Shan State itineraries.

“In the past two years tour companies have started organising the Loikaw trips as a package together with Inle Lake and Taunggyi. Some tourists come to the area by taking the boat from Inle and some enter via car from Heho and Kalaw,” U Aung Tun Lin said.

Despite the poor infrastructure and lack of amenities in Loikaw, he said foreign tourists rarely had any complaints after visiting the city.

“Although the roads are not very smooth, there is very beautiful scenery with high mountains and colourful plantations of sesame, pepper and sunflowers between November and January.”