via The Irrawaddy, 26 January 2021: A plea for help from the tourism industry in Bagan.
Bagan residents who are dependent on tourism have called for the site to be reopened to visitors with COVID-19 precautions.
They said they would ask the Mandalay regional government to reopen pagodas and temples in Bagan and allow tourist businesses to trade by February as they are struggling. They also sent a petition to Mandalay Region chief minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung on Monday.
COVID-19 restrictions have hammered Bagan’s hotels, restaurants, horse-cart drivers and souvenir shops. Bagan has been closed since the first COVID-19 cases were reported in March last year and residents are struggling to make ends meet, said resident U Min Chan Oo, who operates a tuk-tuk and e-bike rental firm.
Source: Myanmar World Heritage Site Residents Demand Return of Visitors as COVID-19 Hits Economy