Tourism growth in Bagan a source of worry

Not altogether unexpected that the opening up of Myanmar and growing numbers of tourists to the famed Bagan complex is a source of worry for the continued preservation of the site.

Myanmar’s ancient city of Bagan is victim of its own success [Link no longer active]
Dalje, 03 June 2015

The city of Bagan, one of Myanmar’s most recognised and visited historical sites, is under pressure from growing hordes of tourists, despite regulation to conserve the site.

At the 11th-century Shwesantaw pagoda, one of the taller structures, “you can see hundreds of visitors at sunset every evening,” said Win Zaw Cho, chairman of Tourist Guides Association in Bagan Zone.

“Everyone who visits Bagan wants to see sunset or sunrise over the ancient temples and pagoda. It is a big, big demand and becomes a threat to old pagodas,” he said.

About 30 per cent of the more than 2 million tourists who visited Myanmar last year went to Bagan, according to the Culture Ministry.