WHILE people in much of the rest of the world rely on the internet to make travel plans and reservations, the development of tourism in Myanmar is being hampered by the inability of domestically based travel agents, hotels and airlines to use so-called e-tourism effectively, sources in the tourism industry said last week.

Increasing numbers of travel agencies in Myanmar are using websites to advertise their services but most are unable to accept deposits for reservations from overseas.

“Myanmar is not well prepared to rely on e-tourism, or transactions made electronically. E-tourism here is in its infant stages,” said Dr Nay Zin Latt, the chairman of Ambo Hotels (www.amboco.com).

“Some travel agents use websites to introduce their services but there are issues that need to be resolved before tourism can be promoted via the internet, including bank transactions and visa approval systems,” he said. “It’s very clear: We are trying to conduct business and we can’t do it very well if the banks don’t work.”

He said the development of the IT sector also played a key role in e-tourism.
“We must have IT expertise and infrastructure to conduct transactions like bookings, payments and visa applications,” Dr Nay Zin Latt said.

U Hla Aye, the managing director of Yangon-based Shan Yoma Travels and Tours, agreed that good internet connections were important to providing travel services electronically.

He said Shan Yoma has had a website (www.exploremyanmar.com) since 1999 and focuses on internet marketing, with about 80 percent of its business coming via World Wide Web users.

“Myanmar really needs to develop its internet capacity,” he said.
Meanwhile, some bigger travel companies have found ways to get around problems with Myanmar’s banking system.

For example, the Yangon office of Exotissimo Tour Company can process electronic payments through its branches in other Southeast Asian countries.
“We have an official website (www.exotissimo.com) where clients can see our destinations and tour programs. They can find out everything they want to know just by clicking,” said Ma Thiri Zaw, the direct sales manager at Exotissimo’s Yangon office.

She said that after Exotissimo receives information from clients about the tours they want to take, the company confirms the reservation via email.

“Once they accept the confirmation they must pay a deposit. Because we can’t use credit cards here, the deposit must be made through an agent at one of our branch offices in another country,” she said.

“The agent tells us when they receive the deposit and then we arrange the tour program for the visitors. The rest of the money can be paid electronically to branch agents or after the client arrives in Myanmar,” Ma Thiri Zaw said.
But one Myanmar student who has studied overseas pointed out a disadvantage of such a system.

“In countries where the banking, email and postal systems work efficiently, I can reserve and purchase tickets online and I know I will get them. But here you need a middleman like a tour operator to arrange everything, which costs more,” she said.

A spokesperson from Saw Porn Phan Tour Company said most of the interest in e-tourism comes from foreign visitors rather than locals.

“We offer online ticketing services and we have been getting more business each year from international clients but the service is rarely used by locals,” the spokesperson said. “Most locals call us on the phone or come to our office in person.”

Most local travel experts agreed that solving problems with banking and IT infrastructure would increase the viability of e-tourism, thereby giving the tourism industry as a whole a huge boost in Myanmar.

“We can’t forget about globalisation. We should be part of it,” said Dr Nay Zin Latt. “If we really want to receive more tourists and develop the industry, our services should be more effective and convenient for them.”