Every day dozens of tour buses stop outside Yangon's Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda and unload their cargo of Thai tourists eager to view the 65m-long reclining Buddha inside.
TOGETHER IN PRAYER: Locals and foreigners visit Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon on Makha Bucha Day. PHOTO: THITI WANNAMONTHA
Brought to the site in 1966 after decades of neglect, the Buddha image has been restored with the help of foreign donations. Its porcelain head with kindly blue-shaded eyes made from Japanese glass has earned it the lyrical name of the ''Sweet-Eyed Buddha''. The Thais, it seems, can't get enough of the cultural and religious attractions their neighbour has to offer, which echo their own traditions, but in an unspoiled environment due to Myanmar's long period of isolation.
The Chauk Htat Gyi Buddha is surrounded by small shrines each representing a day of the week. Just across the road is the equally impressive Ngar Htat Gyi Pagoda containing a large seated Buddha bedecked in an ornate golden robe.
Not far away is the heart of Myanmar Buddhism _ the gilded and bejewelled 100m high Shwedagon Pagoda _ said to house eight hair relics of the Buddha.
''We just follow what the tour company has arranged for us,'' Suang, a Thai visitor on a tour of Yangon's religious sites told Spectrum.
''We have found a lot of similarities here in religion, culture and food.''
BIG BUDDHA: A couple kneels before the 65m-long Buddha image at Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda in Yangon. PHOTO: PEERAWAT JARIYASOMBAT
Thais are the largest single group of visitors to Myanmar and the so-called ''pilgrimage tours'' play no small part. According to Myanmar's Tourism Regulation Department, 40,000 Thai people visited the country in the first three months of this year, an increase of 143% from the same period of 2012.
''Thailand will once again this year account for the largest number of visitors to Myanmar,'' Myint Tyn Oo, assistant director of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, said.
''They mostly visit the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda at Kyaik Hto,'' the official said.
Phyo Wai Yar Zar, joint secretary of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, said the surge in Thai tourists is not restricted to Yangon. Community-based heritage tourism has also begun in Shan State in areas such such as Kyaing Tone, Inle and Kalaw.
Depending on the programme arranged by the travel agency, tourists usually visit pagodas in several different places, including Bago, Bagan and Kyaiktiyo.
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock, is located in Kyaiktiyo, Mon State. As well as being a tourist attraction, the site is popular with local Buddhists, many of whom make a pilgrimage there every year.
''During the Thai holiday periods, hotels in Kyaikhto and around Kyaiktiyo Pagoda are packed,'' said Su Mon, from Wide View Travel and Tour.
The wide range of available package deals and cheap flights has contributed to Myanmar's growing popularity among Thais, Su Mon said.
''With low-cost airlines like AirAsia it's now more affordable for Thai people to visit Myanmar. They also tend to stay in budget hotels, and by travelling in groups of up to 60 can negotiate the best rates.''
BEYOND THE PAGODA
While the influx of Thai visitors is welcome, the fledgling Myanmar tourism industry knows that it must expand its range of attractions and improve customer service if it is to establish itself as a genuine regional tourist destination.
In its tourism master plan, the government has set a target to attract three million international tourists in 2015, or triple the number who visited last year.
The nascent tourism strategy includes hosting regional meetings, participating in international tourism fairs and easing visa restrictions. The historic city of Mandalay has also been opened to direct international flights.
At a forum of tourism experts from the Asia-Europe Foundation held earlier this month in Yangon, it was suggested that the government consider increasing its investment in its old buildings and architectural landmarks as part of a plan to develop several ''heritage cities''.
During her presentation, Hlaing Maw Oo Hock from the Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development, said the government has already identified 11 ancient monuments and 189 buildings in Yangon for conservation. And according to the Yangon City Development Committee, there are about 189 listed buildings in Yangon each of which is at least 100 years old.
However, before the government spends its money, it should develop a clear investment plan, Hlaing Maw Oo Hock said.
''Before we invest [in urban heritage] we really need to consider what we should conserve,'' she said.
Khin Than Win, director of the Tourism Promotion Department, said that customer service is another area in need of improvement.
''We have to give priority to customer satisfaction,'' she told Spectrum.
''As we extend entry the points beyond Yangon, it will become easier for tourists to travel upcountry. If those first tourists give good feedback, more will follow.''OVERPRICED HOTELSWhile Myanmar does offer some budget accommodation _ as preferred by many Thai tourists _ room rates at upmarket establishments have gone through the roof. At most five-star hotels in Yangon, the typical rate for a basic room is US$300 (9,350 baht) per night. It's a problem the private sector needs to address.
Diethelm Travel Group last year described the country's hotel sector as ''shortsighted'', saying room rates were overpriced and exploited the high demand from the corporate and leisure sectors.
According to figures from the tourism department, across the country, Myanmar had 787 hotels, motels and guesthouses last year, though most were criticised for their poor standards of service.
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY: Panida Panlabute, the Thai owner of Nacha Spa in Yangon, says there are plenty of ways to make money in Myanmar. PHOTOS: MON MON MYAT
''If hotels set their prices at a reasonable level and make it easy for people to book, more tourists will come,'' Khin Than Win said.
Panida Panlabute, a Thai businesswoman who for the past year has owned the Nacha Spa in Yangon, said she previously trained staff at the Mandalay Hill Resort. Based on her experiences, she said the country still has a lot to learn about customer service.
''We tried to get the staff to realise the importance of having service in mind,'' she said.
Many of Myanmar's hotels are poor value for money, she said.
''The rates are very high. If you come here on business, you have to pay about $75 a night, but even for that you will get an old room room with a smelly carpet.''
FOREIGN INVESTMENT
The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is not unaware of the problem. Officials have been quoted as saying that ''high quality hotels that satisfy tourists are essential for the country'' and the ministry has appealed for more foreign direct investment in the sector.
According to the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, Thailand, behind Singapore and Vietnam, is the third-largest rates investor in hotels and commercial complexes in Myanmar.
Thai investors have pumped more than $235 million into 10 hotels and commercial complexes projects in Myanmar.
Among them is LP Holding Co Ltd, which, in a joint venture with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism invested $100 million in the Centrepoint Towers project.
The mixed-use development in the heart of the Myanmar capital, which is scheduled to be completed this year, comprises office and retail space, as well as 300 high quality hotel rooms.
LP Holding signed a deal with the ministry in 1993 giving it a 30-year lease on the site, according to a report in the New Light of Myanmar.
Ms Panida, whose spa shares a compound with her sister's restaurant, Le Nacha, said the siblings are waiting for the right opportunity to expand their businesses in Myanmar.
''The financial system is still not yet fully opened yet. So we'll wait until the government sorts that out.''
Four Thai banks _ Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank, Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikornbank _ have opened offices in Yangon, but the Central Bank of Myanmar has not yet to grant banking licences to any foreign financial institutions.
But Ms Panida remains optimistic, saying that their are plenty of opportunities for Thai investors and businesspeople, especially in the hotel and service industries.
''If you start doing one thing here, you can do many things. And everything makes money here,'' she said.
tourists visit the Shwedagon Pagoda.
COMING SOON: The Centrepoint Towers Hotel project, a US$100 million joint venture between Thai company L P Holding and Myanmar's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, is set to open later this year.
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Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/06/30/best-buddhas-how-thais-are-driving-tourism-next-door-bangkok-post-news/
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