People wait to watch the sunset on top of the Shwesandaw Pagoda in the ancient city of Bagan on February 13, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)
YANGON — Myanmar’s culture ministry has revised an announcement originally issued on Monday banning tourists from visiting Bagan’s ancient temples, drawing criticism from tourism professionals who have instead urged the government to set limits on the ban.
From March 1, tourists will no longer be allowed to climb the steps of the ancient city’s stupas and temples, according to an initial announcement from the culture ministry on its Facebook page.
However, in a separate statement released later on Tuesday, the ministry ruled that five temples – Pyathatgyi, Shwesandaw, South Guni, North Guni and Thitsar Wadi – would be excluded from the ban.
Government agencies have called the practice dangerous for tourists and suggested that the large numbers of tourists are weakening the durability and strength of ancient buildings.
The ministry’s clarification comes after several tourism professionals spoke out, claiming that the blanket ban was not an inappropriate response to pressure to protect monumental heritage.
Thadoe Thuzar Aung, secretary-general of the Union of Myanmar Tourism Associations (UMTA) and managing director of Authentic Myanmar Travel and Tours, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the association encouraged the ministry to implement a systematic approach to filter visits and collect more positive suggestions from travel-related associations.
“Recruiting skilled employees with privileged access to the top of the temple may be an option,” she said.
The general secretary is also concerned that the ban could make it difficult for photographers and media representatives to obtain digital footage of the ancient city.
The ministry’s announcement on Monday said many tourists entered the temple wearing revealing clothes and danced or slept nearby, showing disrespect to the ancient kingdom’s cultural heritage.
Haymar Aung, an experienced English-speaking guide, told The Irrawaddy that there are two famous spots in Bagan to watch the sunset, and tourists flock to these main viewpoints every day – at the top of the temples. She did, however, express concern about tourists desecrating ancient sites.
“Action should be taken against this behaviour. But when access (to the top of the pagoda) is banned, they won’t have any other unique things to do in Bagan,” Haymar Aung said.
“It’s every tourist’s dream to go to Bagan to watch the sunset or sunrise and take pictures from the top of the pagoda,” she added.
Since last October, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has advocated for the Ministry of Culture to build a viewing platform around the Sulamani Temple in Bagan, in cooperation with UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The JICA confirmed to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the project has not been approved so far.
The culture ministry’s initial announcement came after a video went viral on social media last week showing a group of people from a local medical company, Lucky Time Trading, at Bagan’s Pyathadar temple on February 17 Dance. The company later apologized for organizing the event in the state-run newspaper.
