A multi-stakeholder workshop on Responsible Tourism and Human Rights in Myanmar was held in Naypyidaw from 30 September to 2 October by the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

1. www.mcrb.org.mm
အမွတ္ ၁၅၊ ရွမ္းရိပ္သာလမ္း
(ဆာကူရာ ေဆးရံုအနီး)
စမ္းေခ်ာင္းၿမိဳ႔နယ္၊ ရန္ကုန္ၿမိဳ႕
ဖုန္း / ဖက္(စ္) ၀၁ ၅၁၀၀၆၉
Vicky Bowman
Director, Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB)

3. Integrate domestic,
international tourism into the
national economic policy, and
develop linkages between
tourism and other economic
sectors to maximize benefits.
Further strengthen cooperation
mechanisms within the public
sector and with the various
tourism sector stakeholders
(private sector, local
communities and civil society).
1st of 9 aims (pg. 8): Tourism is a national priority sector

4. Integrated
Tourism Planning:
land use, zoning,
building control
and resource
planning.
High
Priority
Focal point: Ministry of Hotels and Tourism
Advisory role: ministry of National planning and
development, State/Regional Governments, Myanmar
Investment commission
Liaising role: Ministry of culture, Ministry of
Environmental Conservation and Forestry, ministry of
Agriculture and irrigation, Ministry of commerce,
ministry of finance and Revenue, ministry of
immigration and Population, Ministry of
Construction, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Union
Attorney General’s office, Myanmar Tourism
Federation

5. The importance of land was recognised in
The Myanmar Government’s Policy on Community
Involvement in Tourism (2013)

6. Objective 3: Developing Safeguards, Systems and Procedures to Strengthen
Community Planning and Management in Tourism
Action Point
c ) Apply and implement policies and guidelines to strengthen social,
environmental and cultural safeguards, including safeguards for tourism
development on communal land that is acceptable to local people (see
Appendix 3).
The Community Involvement in Tourism Policy 2013

9. • The importance of land
was recognised in the
Myanmar Tourism Master
Plan 2013-2020
• Closely tied to destination
planning and management
Strategic Program 3: Strengthen
Safeguards and Procedures for Destination
Planning and Management (pg. ii)
 design and implement innovative,
integrated, and participatory approaches
to destination planning;
 strengthen tourism-related social and
environmental safeguards;
 improve zoning practices and controls in
tourism destinations;
 develop tourism and climate change
adaptation strategies;
 promote innovative and green
technologies; and
 strengthen community involvement in
tourism.

10.  Destination management plans have been created or are being
created by donor organisations in collaboration with MOHT in
key destinations:
◦ Bagan – JICA
◦ Inlay –MIID
◦ Kayah State - ITC/CBI
◦ Mandalay region (including Amarapura, Mingun etc) – MoU to
be signed with La Sapienza
 However there is a mixed record on:
◦ government ownership
◦ stakeholder engagement/participatory planning
◦ implementation
 There are no Destination Management Organisations (DMOs)
resulting in:
◦ minimal coordination between the Destination Management
efforts
◦ efforts not nationally driven or managed.
Destination Planning and Management:
Update since 2013

11. Key Objective 3.3: Improve Zoning In Tourism Destinations pg. 48 Master Plan
All tourism infrastructure projects will seek to avoid and minimize negative impacts
on the physical environment and respect the cultural landscape. The planning
process will include mapping and zoning of sites and destinations to ensure the
protection of key habitats and natural and cultural assets. Zoning regulations will
allocate land for infrastructure and commercial activities, including hotel
construction. Participatory processes will underpin this approach and ensure
developments are aligned with the Responsible Tourism Policy, and comply with EIA
and SIA standards and safeguards. Activities include a status review of hotel zones.
Capacity building programs for destination managers are central to the success of
zoning and to enhance stakeholder understanding of planning concepts and
processes.
Destination planning and management
includes the question of ‘zoning……’

12. Key Objective 3.3: Improve Zoning in Tourism Destinations pg. 48
Activity 3.3.1 Review the status of hotel zone development (e.g., Mandalay,
Bagan, and Inle): review progress and issues with hotel zone development
within context of Myanmar’s responsible tourism policy; develop a planning
framework that harmonizes hotel zone planning with national objectives to
protect natural and cultural heritage and promote the well-being of local
residents.
Today’s workshop is intended to contribute to this debate
Key Objective 3.3: Improve Zoning in Tourism Destinations pg. 48
Activity 3.3.2 Prepare zoning plans for key tourist destinations: using
participatory processes prepare base maps for the destinations and
determine areas with important cultural and natural attributes in need of
special protected status; determine suitable land for development of
infrastructure and commercial activities; prepare rules and regulations for
each zone; review and approve the zoning plans; develop and disseminate
information and educational materials about the zones.

13. ‘Zoning’ is not the same as creating a ‘Zone’
 Zoning describes the control by authority of the use
of land, and of the buildings thereon. Areas of land
are divided by appropriate authorities into zones
within which various uses are permitted.
 Zoning is necessary, including for protection of
cultural heritage

15. Tourism to a Destination…….?

16. • “Denoting a place that people will make a special trip to visit.”
(Oxford Dictionary)
• “Noting an attraction or event that people are willing to travel a long
distance to get to, either because it is very good or distinctive or
because it is located in a popular and interesting place.”
(Dictionary.com)
• “A place to which one is journeying or to which something is sent a
place worthy of travel or an extended visit - often used
attributively” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

17. ….or Tourism to a Zone?

18. • “a region, area, or section characterized by some distinctive feature or
quality” (Dictionary.com)
• “an area subject to a particular political, military, or government
function, use, or jurisdiction.” (Dictionary.com)
• “A section of an area or territory established for a specific purpose, as a
section of a city restricted to a particular type of building, enterprise, or
activity” (FreeDictionary.com)
• “An area or stretch of land having a particular characteristic, purpose, or
use, or subject to particular restrictions” (Oxford Dictionary)
• An area that is different from other areas in a particular way; one of the
sections in a city or town that is used for a particular purpose.”
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

19. or
Where do you
want to spend
your holiday?