INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF MRAUK-U, RAKHINE STATE, MYANMAR
Abstract
- Myanmar has encouraged the development of tourism since the early 1990s. Following the introduction of the reform policy after 2011, international tourist arrivals to Myanmar increased from 0.38 million in 2010 to 1.3 million in 2018. While the main tourist attractions are located in the “classical quadrangle” of Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake, remote sites are rarely visited. Among them is the ancient capital of Rakhine, Mrauk-U, which was given the status of a cultural-heritage zone in Myanmar in 1996. The literature assumes that if a destination can identify and satisfy the needs and aspirations of tourists, then people will probably make repeated visits and spread positive news of the site by word of mouth (Gnanapala, 2015). This highlights the important role of tourists and their perceptions in direct relation to the tourism development of a destination area. Against this background, this study aims to investigate international tourists’ perceptions and satisfaction on visiting Mrauk-U in order to improve the services and management of the tourist industry. Understanding the perceptions of international tourists further enhances marketing strategies, reducing negative impacts and implications to enable better destination management. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2018 for the research project. A total of 58 questionnaires were collected (more than 50% response rate) and qualitative interviews with international tourists (seven interviews of between 15 and 40 min.) and local tour guides (four interviews of 60 to 100 min.) were also conducted. Some of the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed. A situation analysis was applied and suggestions for tourism development and the better destination management of Mrauk-U given.
Collections
Download
Year
- 2020
Author
-
Zin Nwe Myint
Subject
- Geography
Publisher
- Myanmar Academy of Arts and Science (MAAS)