ADB evaluates partner role in Myanmar tourism

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is manoeuvring to assist development of Myanmar’s tourism industry. The organisation is appraising the rapid growth of the sector and how it might best contribute to its development. Craig Steffensen, Country Director of the bank’s Thailand Resident Mission, told The Myanmar Times that tourism growth would bring challenges, such as cultural and environmental protection, and these could be addressed through the ADB’s Sustainable Tourism Development Project (STDP), which is currently implemented in Laos and Vietnam. Tourism consultant Daw Kyi Kyi Aye welcomed the news, saying; “It would be very good if they could provide infrastructure and technical assistance on sustainable tourism development.” The ADB will be working alongside the democratically elected Myanmar government, which is keen to nurture private sector development in the tourism arena.