Myanmar/Burma Travel Info

An Invitation to Travel and Tourism Industry Members

The AI NYC Myanmar Action Team seeks to raise awareness of conditions in Myanmar and, most particularly, of the human rights crisis there. Although we neither encourage nor discourage travel in Myanmar, we believe strongly that all visitors and potential visitors have a right and a responsibility to know the facts. Members of the travel industry who sponsor travel to Myanmar play an essential role in making this possible, as every travel company is a potential resource for human rights information and education. We urge you to embrace that role, and invite you to use this site as a source of information and to share this information with your clients.

We also hope that you will be in conversation with us about the subject of tourism in Myanmar. We would like to hear from members of the travel and tourism industry about how they address the questions that inevitably are raised when planning or promoting travel to Myanmar. While Myanmar presents all of the usual challenges to tour companies committed to responsible and ethical tourism, there are some unique considerations, as tourism has become a highly politicized issue. (Please see our “Should You Go?” page for a discussion of these issues.) Official statements by the Myanmar government reveal that tourism is perceived as a source of revenue and employment, a way of creating favorable impressions, and a means of legitimization. Travel companies must take special care if they are to avoid becoming participants in the government’s disinformation campaign.

Our research reveals that information about Myanmar is presented in widely divergent ways. Some companies acknowledge the human rights crisis, and some even address the question of whether travel there is ethical. At the other end of the spectrum are those companies that paint entirely unrealistic pictures of a land of untouched beauty where exotic people lead simple, contented lives. We would like to see every company that sponsors travel to Myanmar provide information comprehensive and balanced enough to ensure that travelers understand the fuller story and the consequences of traveling in Myanmar.

We certainly understand that the travel industry is a business and that its members want to offer experiences that are comfortable and enjoyable. At the same time, we believe that a full experience of Myanmar must include an accurate understanding of the realities of life there, and that tourists must not be so shielded that they return home ignorant of the very real day-to-day suffering of the people. When travelers are not provided with information about the human rights crisis and are shown only carefully-selected sites, they are likely to form misimpressions, and to become unwitting spokespeople for the dictatorship’s distorted picture of life in Myanmar. We would much prefer that if people do visit, they will return as advocates for the people.

This website provides resources for travel industry members and individuals. Please visit our "Should You Go?” page for a look at the pros and cons of traveling in Myanmar. On our “History” page you’ll find a time-line overview of Myanmar’s modern political history. “Human Rights” addresses the decades-long crisis. “You Can Help” introduces you to four of the estimated thousand-plus political prisoners. You’ll find additional resources addressing human rights and the debate about travel, as well as a reading list and links to organizations working on behalf of the Burmese people, on our “Find Out More” page.

We sincerely hope you will be in communication with us. Feel free to raise questions or tell us more about your own experiences. We also invite you to link to this site as part of your effort to help clients become more fully informed about Myanmar.

Myanmar Burma Travel and Tour information