" Better places to live in or visit "

" Better places to live in or visit "

* Maung Than Weik *

Tourism as we know is a smokeless industry, but it too has negative impacts on the environment, social lives of the people and the destinations themselves. In some cases large numbers of visitors cause damage, contamination or even threats of destruction to the ancient edifices, artifacts, paintings and murals which in reality are invaluable heritages of the host country.

As tourism is a promising and lucrative business, no country can refuse the financial profits offered by this industry. Instead, countries around the world are vying with each other for a larger share in the global market minimizing the ill effects and maximizing the benefits for national interest through the best possible means of protecting the environment, the way of life and the destinations.

The bottom-line here is the sustainable development covering economic growth, environmental conservation and social and cultural values. Finally, the industry has found a new way of travelling which is about respecting and benefiting the destinations, artifacts, local people and the environment.

Responsible tourism as it is called today is the best way global countries have found at present for sightseeing, recreation, fulfillment, discovery, adventure or any other kind of tourism. It eases harmful economic, environmental and social impacts while generating superior economic benefits for local people and enhancing the well being of host communities.

Actually, responsible tourism can help a visitor know more about local cultures and environments through the active involvement of local people. It encourages the traveler to buy local products, hire local guides, make contributions for local projects, stay away from buying products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artifacts, respect local sacred places and traditions and cultures, use public transport, and understand the views and concept of locals. 

As we are aiming to become a major tourist destination in the Asian region adopting a road-map to welcome eight million visitors by the year 2020, we should also take into account the adoption of this type of business for the sustainable development of the whole tourism industry of the country.

Hence, we hope that through the responsible tourism we will be able to offer better places for people to live in and better places to visit.

#Themyawadydaily