On 4th December 2012, the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) organised jointly with the non-governmental organisation Tourism Transparency a one day long workshop with high-ranking representatives of authorities and the private sector of the International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar. The main topic of the workshop was to make the airport authorities and relevant business stakeholders acquainted with the concept of responsible tourism. The workshop was especially organised to elaborate within a cooperative framework diverse pathways to implement responsible tourism at Yangon’s airport which is in Myanmar the first point of entry for the majority of incoming tourists from foreign countries.

The workshop brought together over 60 participants from different official authorities which are responsible at the Yangon airport for such diverse tasks as immigration, customs, police and health as well as representatives from the private sector representing companies conducting business at the airport such as Pioneer Aerodrome Services and Myanmar Airways.

Dr Andrea Valentin, Founder and Director of Tourism Transparency, presented in the first half of the workshop crucial facts about Myanmar as an emerging destination for international tourism. Dr Valentin introduced to the workshop’s participants the Myanmar Responsible Tourism Policy which was officially launched in September 2012 by the Myanmar Union Ministry of Hotels and Tourism with support by the HSF.

The second part of the event was focused on the booklet ‘DOs & DON’Ts For Tourists’ which was developed by Tourism Transparency with the support of the HSF. The workshop conveyed the meaning of and intentions behind the booklet to key representatives of the public and private sector at the airport. ‘DOs & DON’Ts For Tourists’ contains guidelines illustrated by cartoons and is aimed at international visitors. The booklet aims to create more awareness on the side of foreign visitors about the intricacies of culture and society in Myanmar. Dr Valentin presented on this occasion the extended research process invested into this booklet and elaborated on the further development as well as concepts for distribution of the ‘DOs & DON’Ts For Tourists’.

The guidelines contained in the ‘DOs & DON’Ts For Tourists’ booklet visually illustrate which type of behaviour is either appropriate or unacceptable in the unique socio-cultural context of Myanmar and is supposed to support the establishment of sustainability in the Southeast Asian country.

For the opportunity to view the booklet as a PDF-file, please refer to the following online link:
http://www.dosanddontsfortourists.com/