PING LONG - Myanmar Travel and Tour Agent Information

THE government is ready to promote the Myeik Archipelago as a major tourist destination and is inviting foreigners to invest in the area, the Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Brigadier General Aye Myint Kyu, said last week.

Speaking at the first annual Salone Festival, an event arranged to promote tourism in the area, he said sensitivities linked to the border had previously prevented mass tourism in the area, but regulations would be eased to encourage development.

The Myeik archipelago comprises more than 800 pristine islands spread over 14,000 square miles. The forested, coral-fringed islands teem with wildlife and are almost completely devoid of tourist facilities. The largely uninhabited island are home to a small number of Salone people, who are also known as Moken or 'Sea Gypsies'.

Access to the islands was closed to foreign tourists from the late 1940s until 1997. Today, 43 tour operators, mostly live-aboard diving operations based on Phuket in Thailand have partial access to the area.

Tour businesses seeking access to the region are required to buy a two-year licence from the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism for US$1000 and submit passengers and crew lists and detailed itineraries to the authorities five days before visiting the archipelago.