Manaung developer seeks to assuage concerns about harmful island tourism 

By DMG 05 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
5 February 2022, Manaung 

Officials from Manaung Public Company (MPC) say Manaung Island’s beaches and the livelihoods of its residents will not be negatively impacted by the growth of the local tourism industry, as the development plans centre on ecotourism. 

Most islanders are currently involved in the fisheries and agriculture sectors, and some have looked warily at the ambitions of MPC.  

U Kyaw Hlaing, chairperson of the company, said: “The island’s forest, mountain, water and land on which villagers are depending for their livelihoods will not be harmed by our tourism industry. The lives of fishermen and farmers will be kept as natural for our customers. Visitors need to see how fishermen are working at the beaches. We will conserve the beaches.” 

Manaung Island is part of Kyaukphyu District and is located 87 miles from Kyaukphyu town. The island covers 220 square miles, including several miles of beaches. 

The MPC is developing a tourism plan and policies that are based on sustainability, local job creation, and preserving the island’s natural beauty and its environmentally dependent fishing and farming industries, according to company officials.  

Transportation infrastructure on the island is sub-par, with access from mainland Myanmar only possible via boat or the island’s small airport.  

U Thar Nyunt, a town elder in Manaung, said plans need to be made so that the existing airport can handle more flights, allowing locals and visitors from mainland Arakan State and beyond to be able to travel to the island more conveniently. 

“Major Thamin, who visited Manaung Island in 1962, talked about the poor transportation in our town. The trip is not too far, but it is far due to the difficulty of crossing the Bay of Bengal. So, I want authorities to do something to make it easier to cross the Bay of Bengal,” he said. 

Manaung Airport was upgraded in 2015, but it is still unable to service large planes as the runway is too short. MPC provides flights on 12-passenger planes that have been running a Yangon-Sittwe-Kyaukphyu-Manaung route for more than three years. 

Plans to lengthen the airport runway have been delayed due to a land dispute with two locals that has yet to be settled. 

The MPC says it plans to transport travellers to Manaung from Taungup, Kyaukphyu and Thandwe townships using speed boats until the airport runway can be extended. 

Residents warn that plans for development of the local tourism industry will not be fully realised if access is largely limited to waterway travel to and from the island.