This fabled but troubled Buddhist land was isolated from the outside world from 1962 to 2011; enjoyed a decade or so of political, social, and economic reform including opening to foreign tourists; and since February 2021 has again fallen under a harsh military dictatorship, which has moreover been responsible for severe human rights abuses in various areas. 

There's still extraordinary history and nature on display in capital Rangoon (now renamed Yangon) and places like Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake, and various beaches. But in our judgment, Myanmar's violent recent history should give visitors pause for the time being.

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Burmese, if you please: 6 musts in Myanmar/Burma

  pxfuel After spending nearly a half century walled off under military rule from the rest of the world, from 2011 to 2021 Burma (renamed Myanmar) experienced a decade of progress in its political system, economy, and society – including finally opening up to tourism. Sadly, though, just over a year and a half ago the military took control again and the ruling junta has since then been cracking down – sometimes brutally – on all of that progress. Yet the same time tourists have continued to…

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Started by José Balido
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Burmese junta aims to reopen country to tourism in 2022 - but who will go?

An interesting piece from CNN: "Visiting Myanmar, which has previously spent decades under military rule, has always presented dilemmas for travelers weighing up whether their trip will support what has in the past been labeled an oppressive regime, or will help locals who need outside lifelines. The question is now, with Covid still an issue across the region and the wider world of travel, plus the turmoil currently gripping the country, will anyone come?" Click here.          

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Started by David Paul Appell
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Exploring the new Rangoon

“I have a robe for you,’ a passing monk said to us near the mighty Shwedagon Pagoda, which gleams and beams across the city of Yangon. We had been wandering around the centre of town being dazzled by the temples, buildings, animal statues and Buddha images – cleaned to within an inch of their many karmic lives. Lift your eyes and golden spires swirl above you, lower your eyes and small, feet are padding across the tiled outdoor floors – small feet belonging to many maroon-robed monks. Anyway,…

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Started by Tripatini
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  • Max Pesling December 26, 2024 at 8:58pm
    Not at all surprisingly considering all the fighting going on, tourism here is way down this year - and frankly, I´m amazed they still managed to get 900,000 https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2024/12/26/tour...
    Tourism down as Myanmar receives only around 900,000 foreign tourists in 11 months
    Myanmar welcomed 977,154 foreign tourists during the first 11 months of 2024, an official from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told Xinhua .
  • Ken Kok Lee September 26, 2023 at 3:14pm
    Despite all the troubles under the current military dictatorship, the travel industry news site Skift recently reported that with respect to tourism it seems to be business as usual, with no widespread boycotts gaining traction, visitor arrivals on the rise, and the Ministry of Tourism rolling out various initiatives inside and outside the country: https://skift.com/2018/09/14/myanmar-tourism-is-no-pariah-at-asia-p...
    Myanmar Tourism Is No Pariah at Asia-Pacific Travel Mart
    If you might have thought there would be some discontent about traveling to Myanmar these days at the Pacific Asia Travel Association event this week…
  • Jordan Simon September 3, 2023 at 10:45am
    Here´s a good list of more than three dozen Burmese bucket listers: https://traveltriangle.com/blog/places-to-visit-in-myanmar/
    37 Places To Visit In Myanmar In 2023 For Your Fix Of History And Adventure
    From Sule Pagoda to Mount Popa, these places to visit in Myanmar in 2023 are perfect for all those travelers who love history, culture & spirituality.
  • José Balido April 4, 2022 at 2:18pm
    As the brutal military régime here aims to reopen to tourism, international and local NGO's (and even some travel agents), urge tourists to stay away for the time being:
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/04/everything-is-not-ok-...
    Tourists urged to avoid Myanmar as junta prepares to reopen to world
    Travel agents and aid workers raise issues of safety and note that tourism dollars will only benefit the ruling military
  • nanda October 11, 2012 at 5:33am

    Myanmar is one of the treasure hiding in Asia. Myanmar is the best place to visit in SEA. Just come to visit Myanmar and you will have wonderful time  here.I can teach you much about Myanmar culture. You can do things the hard way and Learn slowly, on your own or learn as much in one trip as you would in ten trip by yourself. You can check the pictures Myanmar all tourist destination as following the links

    www.dagon-travel.com

    Hope you appreciate it!

    For more information contact  dagontravel@gmail.com

  • Flashpacking July 27, 2012 at 5:03pm

    Hey, not sure invitations are required any more. Check out how we got a visa for Myanmar. Also Yangon used to be the capital but isn't anymore, the government have created a new capital city which many aren't pleased about. We didn't particularly like Yangon, but loved Myanmar.

    Myanmar Visa in Bangkok and Some Travel Gadgets
  • Sandra & John Scott July 27, 2012 at 4:58pm

    How can we get an invitation to visit the capital of Myanmar?

  • Flashpacking July 25, 2012 at 6:43pm

    Just spent nearly 3 weeks travelling around Myanmar (Burma) as part of an around the world trip. Initially on arrival in Yangon I was underwhelmed. However, the longer I spent touring different places and interacting with people the warmer my heart became. I can now say I would not have missed this journey to Myanmar for the world. You can see some of my travel photographs at http://flashpackatforty.com 

    Flashpacking Travel Blog
  • Ed Wetschler August 23, 2010 at 6:37pm
    I read this morning that high-end tourism is up in India, and now I see it's up 37% in Myanmar. Of course, it's up from a tiny base, but still....This is another of those situations that make me wonder, Is increased tourism likely to enrich the ruling party, or will it give the people new ideas that could be detrimental to the rulers?
  • Rick Green March 25, 2010 at 6:40am
    Thank you for the recipe, Ei. I will cook it tomorrow and serve it with some rice and stir-fried vegetables.
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