8th Thandaunggyi Tourism Development Working Group Meeting 3rd to 4th May 2016

05/04/2016

For the last years Myanmar has been experiencing a lot of changes and development in both the political and the economic sector. This has also had an impact on the tourism sector which is constantly growing and gaining importance. In hindsight responsible tourism, including community involvement in tourism, becomes more and more important. Especially in conflict-affected areas, like the Kayin state, responsible tourism development can work as a tool to maintain and restore peace.

The working group discussing their findings

HSF

Since more than one year the Hanns Seidel Foundation has supported a pilot project in Thandaunggyi, Kayin State. The aim, which led to establishing a working group in Thandaunggyi, was to build trust among the different stakeholders involved in order to support the peace process and to improve livelihoods in conflict-affected parts of Kayin State. Therefor Thandaunggyi was selected as an area with high tourism potential as it was removed from the list of restricted areas in the year 2012. The Thandaunggyi Tourism Development Working Group is a pilot project in the field of responsible tourism development and community-based tourism in Myanmar. Working group Members are Community members, religious leaders, representatives from civil society and the private sector.

The 8th Thandaunggyi Tourism Development Working Group Meeting was held between the 3rd and 4th May in Thandaunggyi. It was jointly organized by the PeaceNexus Foundation and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) in cooperation with the Thandaunggyi Tourism Development Working Group (TTDWG). Moving forward, the focus for the working group is to work independently without the support of external organizations. At this stage it is important to develop formal structure and models for the working group in order to achieve these objectives.

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