Myanmar's Tourist Push to Russia Falls Flat Amid Conflict

YANGON — Myanmar’s junta is doubling down on efforts to lure Russian tourists, but the country’s battered tourism sector is greeting the campaign with derision — and disbelief.

Despite flashy bilateral talks, visa exemptions, and direct flights to Russia, tourism operators say the reality on the ground makes such overtures largely symbolic. “They keep inviting Russians, but as long as the country is at war with itself, nothing will change,” one Yangon-based operator told The Irrawaddy.

Tourism Minister Kyaw Soe Win travelled to Moscow this week to promote Myanmar at an international travel forum, where he pitched visa-free travel, hotel investments, and familiarisation trips for Russian officials. Yet insiders note the numbers remain small: fewer than 2,500 Russians visited in the first eight months of 2024 — most on business or official trips.

“Even before the 2021 coup, we saw few Russian tourists. This campaign is more theatre than substance,” said another operator.

Efforts to develop key resorts have also faltered. Russian-backed deals at Ngapali Beach collapsed after the Arakan Army seized the area, while coastal resorts like Ngwesaung have been closed to foreigners due to ongoing insurgencies. Only the remote Myeik archipelago remains accessible.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s promotional website has been offline since a March earthquake, and industry confidence is collapsing. Once-thriving tourist towns such as Bagan and Inle Lake are now dotted with shuttered hotels and jobless staff.

Neighbouring Thailand, in sharp contrast, is forecasting a booming 39 million visitors this year. Laos is targeting over 4 million.

The junta claims over a million international arrivals in 2023, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing insisting over 500,000 came in early 2024 — figures many in the industry treat with scepticism.

“Russia can’t save Myanmar tourism,” one operator said bluntly. “And the junta’s numbers can’t hide the truth: tourists just aren’t coming.”

-2025-04-14