Shan State Tourism & Agriculture Sector Development

After the political opening in Myanmar, the economy has started to grow. But positive growths effects are uneven, especially outside the urban areas of Yangon and Mandalay, and business practices are not always sustainable.

Tourism has been identified by the Government of Myanmar as a priority growth sector, and has seen considerable growth since the inauguration of the civilian government in 2010. Tourism, not only in Myanmar, but especially in Shan State is accelerating fast.

This project is to develop and implement capacity development activities in Inle Lake region, which aim at the following general objectives:

1. Safeguard the current tourism industry on and around the Inle Lake through the promotion of sustainable practices

2. Support the development of tourism in complementing or satellite destinations around the Inle Lake like Kalaw, Pindaya & Ywangan mainly adopting the model of Community Based Tourism (CBT)

3. Support the organizational development of the planned Destination Management Department within MoHT (Shan State)

4. Channel the information about successful showcases, best-practices and lessons learnt into the political dialogue and support the formulation of policies, rules and regulations that promote environmentally and socially responsible tourism.

Agriculture is the backbone of Myanmar’s economy for 70% of the population who live in rural areas. The agricultural sector employs 50% of the labour force, contributing 30% to the GDP. 20% of exports are agricultural products.