This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
1 min Read
The International Conference on Ecotourism in Protected Areas in Myanmar opened today afternoon at the Myanmar International Convention Centre (II), Nay Pyi Taw.
Delivering his opening address, Vice President U Nyan Tun of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar said tourism is the biggest service sector in the world today. He said more than one billion tourists travel around the world every year creating a million opportunities for tourism-related businesses.
“Tourism is a very important sector for Myanmar because the country has natural resources, cultural heritages, and other tourism-related historical sites,” he said. “Therefore, Myanmar can attract tourists from around the world.”
In the recent years, tourism has significantly increased foreign currency income and generated employment opportunities in Myanmar.
Vice President U Nyan Tun, however, repeatedly cautioned that despite being a key driving force for the economic development of the country, tourism could bring negative impacts, especially on the cultural aspects of the country and its natural environment.
Myanmar has huge potential for eco-tourism both for local and international tourists. Moreover, eco-tourism is expected to help fulfill the Myanmar Government’s vision of Green Economic Development.
The three-day Conference will focus on ecotourism as a mechanism to strengthen livelihoods, adaptation, and conservation. The Conference is expected to engage participants in conversations about ecotourism and related issues, including climate change, spiritual tourism, using ecotourism to finance nature conservation, and working with host communities.
Myanmar’s new Ecotourism Policy and Management Strategy, developed with technical collaboration from ICIMOD and supported by the European Union and the GMS-Environment Operations Centre, was also launched at the opening ceremony. The Policy defines ecotourism in Myanmar while outlining the special relationship between tourism and protected areas in the country. It provides a distinctive ‘Ecotourism Partnerships Framework’ to ensure that ecotourism activities finance protected area management.
At the Ecotourism Policy Dialogue held in the morning of 19 May before the formal opening of the Conference, Union Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry U Win Tun and Union Minister of Hotels and Tourism U Htay Aung delivered the opening remarks. It was followed by an opening remark from ICIMOD’s Regional Programme Manager Dhrupad Choudhury. During the session, senior officials from the Myanmar Government ministries, invited guests, ecotourism experts, and participants from international organizations discussed ecotourism policy in detail.
More than 200 participants attended the opening ceremony of the Conference.
Share
Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.
related contents
The HKH region is energy poor in spite of its vast potential for hydropower and other sources of energy such ...
On 7 July 2021 the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Climate Analytics have signed a Memorandum of ...
The Transboundary Landscape Programme facilitates cooperation based on shared ecosystems between countries and has fostered partnerships with over 55 government ...
The 7.8 magnitude Nepal earthquake on April 25, 2015 and subsequent aftershocks caused more than 8,500 fatalities, nearly 22,500 injured, ...
ICIMOD in association with The Mountain Institute, India and Rural Management and Development Department (Dhara Vikas Programme) Govt. of Sikkim ...
From 26-28 January 2016, the first writers’ workshop for the coordinating lead authors of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and ...
A seven-day training of lead farmers on beekeeping was organized from 5 -11 January 2017 with the main objective of ...
Bihar, India’s most flood-prone state, is under constant threat of flooding. Every year, floods destroy lives, livestock, infrastructure and bring ...