The tourism industry, both globally and in Myanmar specifically, has been devastated by the impacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This pandemic is having an unprecedented effect on economies and the ways in which consumers live, work, shop, and travel, as well as on their behaviours, attitudes, and incomes. During this crisis, tourist destinations everywhere will have to work harder than ever to reassure visitors that it is safe to travel. Moreover, traditional marketing approaches (e.g., trade
shows) will no longer be feasible, leading to an acceleration in the use of digitalization and other technologies for promotional purposes, and unsustainable business models will likely fall by the wayside.
This White Paper offers ideas on how to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on Myanmar’s tourism sector. The ideas presented here are based on a series of online panel dialogues and discussions entitled “The COVID-19 Wave and Myanmar’s Tourism Industry,” which were held in May 2020 organized by Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM). The White Paper is intended to provide input for the Ministry’s emerging outline for the Myanmar Tourism Strategy 2020–2025.