A WORKSHOP aimed at showcasing Naypyidaw as an ideal MICE destination and educating tourism players on ways to develop the destination’s full potential was conducted by the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism last week.
Speaking at the Raising Awareness on MICE Development in Nay Pyi Taw Workshop at The Thingaha Hotel, Htay Aung, minister of hotels and tourism, remarked that the capital city has sufficient facilities and infrastructure to support business events.
Htay Aung pointed out that the ministry has been investing in the development of the local tourism industry and its efforts are supported by the public and private sectors.
The workshop featured a two-day/one-night trip that took “hundreds of participants from travel agencies, hotels, airline companies, tourism development firms and the media” to see local and foreign hotels as well as the Union Parliament building which is marketed as a new product in the city.
Describing the workshop as the ministry’s “first step” towards achieving its MICE ambitions, Htay Aung added that a website is being developed to provide event planners with a directory, available in 20 languages. Users will be able to send enquiries directly to the city’s hotels and conference centres.
According to the ministry, Naypyidaw has about 53 hotels with 5,100 rooms, and most of these properties have facilities and amenities of international standards.
However, Hasitha Manthriratne, hotel operations manager of ParkRoyal Nay Pyi Taw, opined that for Naypyidaw to truly draw international MICE interest, it needed to develop “the liveliness of a city” and improve transportation services.
