Italy and Luxembourg offer help to implement tourism master plan

Italy and Luxembourg have offered technical aid to boost Myanmar’s human resources development sector, part of a short-term project for the country’s tourism master plan, sources from the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism say.

Delegates from Italy and Luxembourg visited Myanmar recently to meet with Ministry of Hotel and Tourism officials. In their meetings, they arranged to cooperate on the implementation of human resources development plans targeted for between 2013 and 2015.

The tourism master plan is a seven-year project expected to cost around US$ 500 million (Ks 493 billion). Norway and the Asia Development Bank have already agreed to provide funds for the project.

The objectives of the master plan are to make Myanmar an even more enticing tourist destination than it already is, develop basic infrastructure in the tourism industry, increase the options for better trip planning, manage and draw better plans, increase human resources, and establish strong organizations.

From an original 38 projects, some US$ 215 million in funding is available for 21 projects.

The tourism master plan is aimed at increasing tourist arrivals to 1.5 million per annum. It is expected that eight million tourists will visit Myanmar in 2020.

Income from the tourism industry will reach more than US$ 10 billion by 2020, sources from the Tourism ministry say.

source: Eleven Myanmar

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