Arakan Tourism Hit By Violence

Ongoing communal violence in Arakan State has lead to the cancellation of tour packages to the coastal region, but overall foreign tourist visitor numbers to Burma are unlikely to be affected by the unrest, the Myanmar Times reports. “There was no official [government] announcement. But everybody knows tourists will not be safe there in this situation, so [companies] canceled programs,†said Khin Maung Htun, a director of the Myanmar Tourism Federation. Alternative tours are being offered instead. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism restricted travel to Mrauk-U and Sittwe in September, but lifted restrictions in October.