Yangon looking prepared for flood of investment, tourism
Singapore presence strongly visible from umbrella shelters to publications
Lee U-wen 12 June 2012
One could easily sense the anticipation in the air, even before the plane touched down in Yangon.
Many of the 150 or so passengers on board that SilkAir flight from Singapore yesterday - this reporter included - craned their necks to look out of the windows as the pilot gradually made his descent towards the city’s international airport.
Some whipped out their cameras to snap a rare overhead view of this sprawling city. What they saw beneath were acres of farmland, scores of temples of all shapes and sizes, and even a couple of golf courses.
There is certainly a high level of intrigue about Yangon these days, or any other city in Myanmar for that matter.
This Southeast-Asian nation has, almost overnight, become a magnet for tourists and business folk alike - all eager to explore everything this vast country has to offer them after decades of isolation under military rule.
Within minutes of setting foot in Yangon International Airport, it is immediately evident how the Myanmar authorities are bracing for a flood of visitors in the years to come.
Announcements and signs giving directions to travellers are broadcast and displayed in fluent Mandarin and English.
A new visa-on-arrival service was launched earlier this month for travellers from 26 countries, including Singapore, to get their visas on the spot in an effort to boost foreign investment and tourism.
Speaking of Singapore, one only has to take a walk around the heart of Yangon to feel the Lion City’s strong presence here.
Several roadside hawkers were using umbrella shelters emblazoned with the Tiger Beer logo all over them.
Over at a basement supermarket at the famous Yankin Centre shopping mall, the magazine racks were stocked with many English-language Singapore publications such as Her World, Home & Décor and Women’s Weekly.
At the Sedona Hotel, one of a handful of five-star properties in the city, the Singapore flag flies high alongside the Myanmar flag outside the hotel’s main entrance.
The hotel - located a stone’s throw away from Myanmar’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s lakeside home on University Avenue - is run by Sedona Hotels International, the Singapore-based hotel management arm of Keppel Land.
The hotel is clearly favoured by many overseas dignitaries. Inside every room is a newsletter showing all the different VIPs who have stayed there of late.
Last month alone, the hotel welcomed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Keppel Corporation chairman and former Singapore Cabinet minister Lee Boon Yang.
The Sedona Hotel management rolled out the red carpet once more yesterday afternoon as they welcomed another familiar Singapore figure - Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Mr. Goh arrived in Yangon to begin a four-day visit that will also take him to the capital of Nay Pyi Taw. He is leading a multi-agency delegation that includes National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck.
Over the next few days, the Singapore delegation will get to witness first-hand Myanmar’s ongoing transformation as the country - under the leadership of President Thein Sein - continues its much-heralded political reform.
The curtains have been drawn wide open in Myanmar and the rest of the world is chomping at the bit to peer at what lies behind.
1 comment:
Yangon looking prepared for flood of investment, tourism
Singapore presence strongly visible from umbrella shelters to publications
Lee U-wen
12 June 2012
One could easily sense the anticipation in the air, even before the plane touched down in Yangon.
Many of the 150 or so passengers on board that SilkAir flight from Singapore yesterday - this reporter included - craned their necks to look out of the windows as the pilot gradually made his descent towards the city’s international airport.
Some whipped out their cameras to snap a rare overhead view of this sprawling city. What they saw beneath were acres of farmland, scores of temples of all shapes and sizes, and even a couple of golf courses.
There is certainly a high level of intrigue about Yangon these days, or any other city in Myanmar for that matter.
This Southeast-Asian nation has, almost overnight, become a magnet for tourists and business folk alike - all eager to explore everything this vast country has to offer them after decades of isolation under military rule.
Within minutes of setting foot in Yangon International Airport, it is immediately evident how the Myanmar authorities are bracing for a flood of visitors in the years to come.
Announcements and signs giving directions to travellers are broadcast and displayed in fluent Mandarin and English.
A new visa-on-arrival service was launched earlier this month for travellers from 26 countries, including Singapore, to get their visas on the spot in an effort to boost foreign investment and tourism.
Speaking of Singapore, one only has to take a walk around the heart of Yangon to feel the Lion City’s strong presence here.
Several roadside hawkers were using umbrella shelters emblazoned with the Tiger Beer logo all over them.
Over at a basement supermarket at the famous Yankin Centre shopping mall, the magazine racks were stocked with many English-language Singapore publications such as Her World, Home & Décor and Women’s Weekly.
At the Sedona Hotel, one of a handful of five-star properties in the city, the Singapore flag flies high alongside the Myanmar flag outside the hotel’s main entrance.
The hotel - located a stone’s throw away from Myanmar’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s lakeside home on University Avenue - is run by Sedona Hotels International, the Singapore-based hotel management arm of Keppel Land.
The hotel is clearly favoured by many overseas dignitaries. Inside every room is a newsletter showing all the different VIPs who have stayed there of late.
Last month alone, the hotel welcomed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Keppel Corporation chairman and former Singapore Cabinet minister Lee Boon Yang.
The Sedona Hotel management rolled out the red carpet once more yesterday afternoon as they welcomed another familiar Singapore figure - Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Mr. Goh arrived in Yangon to begin a four-day visit that will also take him to the capital of Nay Pyi Taw. He is leading a multi-agency delegation that includes National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck.
Over the next few days, the Singapore delegation will get to witness first-hand Myanmar’s ongoing transformation as the country - under the leadership of President Thein Sein - continues its much-heralded political reform.
The curtains have been drawn wide open in Myanmar and the rest of the world is chomping at the bit to peer at what lies behind.
Post a Comment