Pilot project for the qualification of the tourism offer in a perspective of responsible tourism in the Shan State, Myanmar (AID10732)

The connection between the conservation, promotion and enhancement of the cultural, natural and landscape heritage of the Lake Inle area is linked to the affirmation of a tourism model that has the characteristics of social, institutional, economic and environmental sustainability. A model that requires that key players promote good tourism management plans, cultural and environmental protection based on the principles of responsible tourism.
To obtain a positive result, tourism and the economic sectors related to it must be viewed as a whole and promoted with a synergistic approach.An approach aimed solely at increasing the number of visitors and focused exclusively on economic returns would only lead to an exasperation of problems and short-term revenues.
To this end, the project intends to refer to the objectives defined by the Myanmar Tourism Master Plan 2013-2020, which identifies among others the need to develop innovative and integrated approaches for the planning and management of destinations and the strengthening of social protection and environmental.

The aim of the project is to promote responsible tourism in the Taunggyi District through the strengthening of sector governance, awareness raising of local communities and the qualification of service offerings with a view to sustainability. The project aims to support a series of actions aimed at minimizing the negative environmental, social and economic impacts of mass tourism development, promoting an alternative model that generates economic benefits for local populations and contributes to the promotion of a culture of conservation and enhancement of the local natural and cultural heritage; the intervention is focused on the protagonism of local actors, with the ambition to improve the quality of life of the population of the area, and on the actions to enhance local resources and share them with tourists.