[Myanmar] Burma to Boost Tourism in Mergui Archipelago

Burma’s government will increase its efforts to promote tourism in the Mergui Archipelago, a group of some 800 of isolated islands located in the southern Tennasserim region, state-owned newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reports. Minister of Hotels and Tourism Htay Aung said his ministry planned to extend regional tours in the archipelago. It would also “set up camps to offer swimming and scuba-diving trainings in Dawei†and support “marine research and developmentâ€. The archipelago, spread out over hundreds of square kilometers in the Andaman Sea, has long been off limits for independent travelers and could only be visited through tours organized by companies with links to the former military regime.