Myanmar (Burma) travel boycott: our
ethical position
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Read what travellers have to say ›
There is no question that the military dictatorship in Myanmar (Burma) is among the most brutal and oppressive regimes in the world. Following elections in 1989, its military rulers refused to hand over power to the democratically elected government, prompting a call for economic sanctions and a tourism boycott. In more recent times, peaceful demonstrations have been disrupted by force and there have been reports of illegal detention, beatings and killings.
Supporters of the boycott have urged Lonely Planet to abandon publication of its Myanmar (Burma) guide, which they argue encourages tourism and implicitly supports the regime.
Lonely Planet takes this view extremely seriously. We therefore considered long and hard whether we should continue to publish this guide. In the end, we came to the conclusion that we should, for the following reasons.
Our aim in publishing this guide is to provide objective information to help travellers make informed decisions about whether or not to visit Burma. No one reading our guide could be in any doubt about our opinion of the current regime, which we describe as "abominable".
Lonely Planet's Myanmar (Burma) guide outlines the arguments both for and against visiting the country: without such information it's entirely possible that travellers will make the decision to visit Burma without even being aware of the boycott.
For those who do decide to go, Lonely Planet's guidebook is one of only a very few sources of information that enables travellers to maximise their support for the local population, and minimise the prospect of any money which they might spend going to the military regime.
And when such travellers return, we encourage them to speak out about what they have seen, to write to the local Myanmar embassy and to share their experience with others, perhaps by participating in Lonely Planet's own discussion forum, the Thorn Tree.
Make no mistake: our decision to publish is not a show of support for the current regime and we fully support the restoration of democracy in Burma. We do not, however, believe you create new freedoms by stifling information or banning books.
Lonely Planet is committed to the provision of accurate travel information for every country across the globe.
Alex Fenby, Global Publisher
Lonely Planet Publications
Read what travellers have to say about the Myanmar travel boycott:
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Myanmar FAQs
Why does Lonely Planet publish a guide to Myanmar?
Lonely Planet's 9th edition of the Myanmar guide outlines substantial arguments both for and against visiting the country, including the views expressed by NGOs. We believe it is important for travellers considering travel to Myanmar to have access to these views so they can make a fully informed decision about the issue.
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Aung San Suu Kyi argues that tourists should not go to Myanmar at the moment yet you still include a 'reasons to go' section in the guide. Why?
Lonely Planet aims to provide independent travellers with balanced information so that they are able reach their own informed conclusions. The purpose of the "Should you go?" section is to introduce prospective travellers to both sides of a difficult and passionate debate concerning travel to Myanmar. We believe that it would be irresponsible to present only one side of the argument.
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'You claim that 'a vast majority of the locals want travellers to come' - how do you know this?
Because our authors collect their content for the guide books by actually experiencing life as a traveller in Myanmar, we deal with primary sources. These include people our authors have eaten with in guesthouses and taken long bus rides with. Pascal Khoo Thwe, the refugee author who can't go back and still regularly tackles the government, told us that if someone wants to go, they should go. His advice was to avoid package trips and try to get money into the hands of local citizens.
The author of the ninth edition talked to approximately 2000 people during his recent trip and was overwhelmed by how happy locals were to see people in their country - the predominant message is 'come!'
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Can travellers avoid spending money that feeds directly into the coffers of the junta?
It all depends on how you travel. The new edition provides extensive information on how to avoid spending money that will ultimately find its way to the military regime. The new guide encourages travellers to avoid package tours and government-run hotels, and explicitly details which forms of transport are government-owned. The information the Myanmar guidebook provides will enable travellers to identify non-government owned guesthouses, private transport services, gift shops and restaurants, thereby supporting local enterprises and not the military regime.
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What is Lonely Planet's opinion of the work carried out by NGOs that speak out against travel to Myanmar?
Lonely Planet supports the ultimate goal of these NGOs in restoring democracy in Myanmar.
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