‘Covid-safe’ certificates to be provided to qualified hotels and guesthouses

By DMG 30 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom
30 September 2021, Sittwe

Hotels and guesthouses will be provided “Covid-19 Safe Service” certificates if they meet two metrics, said the Arakan State Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.

The move is aimed at easing visitors’ minds as the traditional tourism high season approaches, said U Tin Tun Aung, director of the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism, who acknowledged the hobbled nature of the tourism industry due to the pandemic and coup.

“The certificate shows this hotel or guesthouse is safe for health. The [initiative] will be throughout Myanmar,” U Tin Tun Aung told DMG.

“The regional level certificate means it is safe for health in the relevant region. The national level certificate indicates the safety area is wider. The international hotels will be provided with international-level certificates,” U Tin Tun Aung said.

The two metrics that hotels and guesthouses are required to meet are: all staff are completely vaccinated against Covid-19, and all staff have completed health safety training.

The directorate will provide assistance for the hotels and guesthouses who have questions or concerns about those metrics, the state’s directorate said.

Fifty-seven out of 100 hotels and guesthouses in Arakan State have been allowed to operate and will be provided Regional Level certification if they meet the requirements.

They can apply for the certificate by filling in the required information at the directorate’s website.

Hoteliers have said they’ve resumed their services in line with Covid-19 regulations, but a dearth of visitors remains a concern.

Arrivals of domestic and foreign visitors in Arakan State in 2020 were down 25% compared with 2019 due to regional instability as well as the pandemic, according to figures from the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.

Locals who in past years depended on local tourism revenues have faced livelihood difficulties as a result.