In Arakan State, 57 of 100 hotels closed by Covid-19 allowed to resume operations

By DMG 29 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom
29 September 2021, Sittwe 

Out of 100 hotels, motels and guesthouses in Arakan State that have closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 57 have been allowed to resume operations so far, according to the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. 

The hotels were allowed to reopen in accordance with directives issued by the junta-controlled Ministry of Health, said U Tin Tun Aung, director of the Arakan State Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. 

“If hoteliers want to open the hotels, they are allowed to do so, but they can’t do it unregulated,” he told DMG. “There are regulations regarding Covid-19, so if hoteliers report to our department that hotels will be opened in accordance with those rules, we check and allow them to open if they comply with the rules.” 

Sixteen hotels and hostels in Sittwe, 31 in Thandwe, nine in Kyaukphyu and one in Mrauk-U have been allowed to resume operations. 

Due to the global pandemic, the military-led government has set a policy of reviving Myanmar’s tourism industry with more domestic visitors than foreign tourists next season, he added.

“We did not force hotels to close during the Covid-19 crisis, but allowed them to do so in accordance with the rules. However, due to lockdown restrictions, the number of travellers has decreased. Therefore, we plan to try to revive the tourism industry in the future with the help of local visitors,” he said. 

Hotels have been reopened in accordance with the Covid-19 regulations, but the number of guests is currently low due to an overall lack of tourist arrivals, said Kyaukphyu Hotel owner Daw Win Mar Aye. 

“The Covid-19 pandemic and political unrest in Myanmar have reduced the number of visitors,” she said. “If about 100 people used to come, now it is not certain that 10 people will come.” 

Daw Win Mar Aye continued that the hotel staff had to be halved due to the low number of guests and its impact on revenue. 

Due to regional instability and the pandemic, tourist arrivals in Arakan State last year declined by 25% compared with 2019, according to data compiled by the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. 

As the tourism industry has declined, local residents dependent on the industry have been struggling to make ends meet amid day-to-day job insecurity.