Conclusion
Although possessing numerous strengths as a destination, the features and actions of Myanmar’s government have hindered tourism and helped to prevent the country from realising its promise as a destination. Associations of a harsh military dictatorship and human rights abuses, combined with developmental impediments resulting from inept governance and relative isolation, have given rise to hostility and unfavourable images inimical to tourism. Until the underlying political tensions are resolved and new policies put in place leading to improvements both in realities and perceptions, Myanmar’s tourism industry is unlikely to thrive. Possible differences in the sensitivities and performance of various markets must be noted, however, with major Asian generators apparently less sympathetic to questions of human rights while adversely affected by economic and political uncertainty
This article has sought to demonstrate the fundamentally political nature of tourism which acts as an expression of political philosophy and instrument of policy within and outside of government. In extreme cases, political insecurities and controversies commanding worldwide attention can disrupt and damage tourism, communicating messages which threaten the tourist’s sense of psychological and physical comfort and imply difficulties for the industry. Tourism is also perceived to have some potency as a force for change by protagonists in political disputes but this is offset by the workings and interplay of much stronger political, economic and socialphenomena and inequalities in the distribution of power and access to resources. While tourism depends upon conditions of peace and order, its ability to effect fundamental political restructuring to propel a state in this direction is severely constrained.
These conclusions have a resonance beyond Myanmar with the attacks of 11 September 2001 and their repercussions highlighting tourism’s vulnerability to political events globally and locally. It becomes apparent that any country seeking to promote its tourism must recognise these considerations and appreciate that tourism functions as part of the wider economic and geopolitical system from which it cannot be divorced. Academics should also acknowledge the centrality of the relationship between politics and tourism and give due weight to it in their studies.