Nay Pyi Taw’s hotel conundrum

By Clare Hammond

After an extensive building binge, as the jubilation of hosting two major regional events subsides the government is seriously assessing how best to attract people to Nay Pyi Taw’s hotels. As the city’s 10-year anniversary approaches, it remains disconnected from the world. The question is becoming ever more critical – what next?

“There has to be a two-track approach to solving the Nay Pyi Taw problem and it’s a very, very big problem, let’s not kid ourselves,” said Magnus Bartlett, chair of Odyssey Publications, which is working with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism (MoHT) on a campaign to promote the city as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).

“We’ve got to be visionary but at the same time we’ve got to have a fast-track short-term plan, if the government wants a capital city that is taken seriously around the world,” he said.

Hotel construction has been one of the city’s major industries over the past few years. Local companies were asked to build accommodation at top speed in three specially designated hotel zones in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the 2014 Asean chairship.

As a result, the number of hotel rooms more than doubled, from 2111 in 33 hotels at the end of 2012 to more than 5000 rooms in 62 hotels as of mid-June, according to MoHT deputy director U Hlaing Oo.

But due to the speed of construction – the government deadlines for completion were non-negotiable – many of the lower-grade hotels are shoddily built.

Read more: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/15228-nay-pyi-taw-s-hotel-conundrum.html

"As the city’s 10-year anniversary approaches, it remains disconnected from the world. "

surreal place!