The generals’ coup plunged Myanmar into chaos. The borders have been closed since the pandemic began. Now the country wants to open up to vacationers again. The Foreign Office warns.
Despite the ongoing violence in the country, the military junta in Myanmar wants to attract vacationers from all over the world again.
Interested parties from 100 countries have recently been able to apply for a tourist visa online again, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, experts strongly warn against visiting former Burma.
The Federal Foreign Office writes on its website: “There is currently a warning against traveling to Myanmar.” German nationals are recommended to leave the country. Again and again there are politically motivated acts of violence and bomb attacks.
“The generals are pushing the tourism sector to advertise – but who dares to go on vacation here?” said the owner of a local tour operator, who wanted to remain anonymous, the German Press Agency. “We cannot take any responsibility in this situation.”
Chaos since military coup
The country closed its borders in early 2020 as a result of the corona pandemic. Since the generals’ coup and the ouster of Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, the former Burma has been in chaos. Killings and kidnappings by the army are commonplace. In 2019, around 4.3 million tourists came to the country, which is known for its pagodas and picturesque landscapes.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in March that the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar was widening amid systematic military brutality. “The economy is on the brink of collapse. Over 14.4 million people are now considered vulnerable,” she said, predicting that food shortages will escalate sharply in the coming months.
“Some foreigners have to come for business reasons, but it is impossible to revive the tourism industry in this crisis,” said a manager of a large corporation. “The junta wants to show that Myanmar is becoming stable, which is not true.”
