Is it true: overbooked and rip-off?
Replies: 18 - Last Post: Oct 20, 2012 1:25 AM Last Post By: tabmow66
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Is it true: overbooked and rip-off?
Is it true that Myanmar is ridiculously overbooked (flights and accomodation) and a kind of rip-off culture has settled down?1
I wouldn´t call it a rip off culture. This is a country with a very tiny tourist infrastructure trying to meet a demand far above their abilities. In little more than a year Myanmar has become extremely popular everyone would like to visit now. This is the reason for the overbooked flights and middle class hotel rooms. I have friend´s trying to book flights and hotel rooms they say it´s more expensive but not ridiculously expensive. The prices asked for are still fair.http://swebackpacker.com/category/countries/burma/
2
Rip off culture? No. that isn't Burma at all. As above, the tourist infrastructure is totally inadequate to the country's new status as a must-visit destination.3
No No No, the people are very poor, and they do need money, but they are not rip off artists. Every time i go there I don't want to leave. In 5 trips I have never had a bad experience, You may need to bargan hard in the bazaars, but that is only natural. The infrastructure is either old or undeveloped, and it takes some time to build new hotels, restaurants etc. Money is comming, but not as fast as the intrepid tourists.4
Regarding Rip-Off culture. In all my travels, I found the Burmese, by far, to be the most honest people to deal with. On odd occasions, I had mistakenly given too many notes for something, and without hesitation, the extra note(s) were returned.I travelled there last month (Sept) and was not aware of previous years prices so I found the cost of transport and meals within the range of general prices of South-East Asia. Backpacker accommodation, with private bathroom, was around US$20 in Yangon and Manadalay and around >US$10 in other areas. The Government did charge around US$10 for entrance fees to the area's sites, ie one fee for many sites. So if I had no prejudicial feeling for the current Government, I would have been happy with that.
So as far as I can see, it still was as cheap to travel as in most other South East Asia countries.
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we shall have to wait for novemember feed back when it is at its highest, last year was unbelievably packed out with backpackers and altthough difficult to find accommodation in Inle during the balloon festival I didn't meet anyone who had not been accommodated and the people for now remain very honest in general although there is a pick pocket gang operating at the balloon festival site in Taungyyi.However like Laos and cambodia and even Thailand before, it things change as they start to want what the western tourists have, already there are rip off the tourist agents in Sittwe and Mandalay (watch out for the take female westerners on trip of lifetime cockney "Jack the lad" outside Royal GH who has a habit of 'servicing' vulnerable and trusting female back packers. and Burma with highest incidents of HIV in Asia.
The changes in the last 2 years are amazing and people are also opening up being less fearful in the "New Democracy" (?) of the despots that have now retired into luxury ,for services to their country lol Generals Tan Shwe and General Maung A
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Who told you there was a rip-off culture in Myanmar? No-one who has actually been there would say something like that.9
Is there going to be a lot of price gouging going on this year ? Yep you betchaDoes that mean Burma is a rip off culture? No and those facts won’t be for another decade
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Burma is like any other cut off country entering a new reality. Like Thailand 30 years ago, Laos and Cambodia in the 90’s or Ethiopia in the last decade. There will be honesty, there will be price gouging. No county or people are Saints as no country is totally dishonest.
Just Deal with it hipster
10
I may have missed the boat on Burma. Didn't go when it wasn't the cool place to go, now I'm worried the price of accommodation is a bit steep due to an influx of people and tour groups taking all the beds and will have to wait a few years for them to build enough hotels. Any thoughts?11
If I hadn't been to Burma, I'd want to get there soon to experience it before it has changed too much. They are building new accommodations, but it will take a while to catch up. I doubt that prices will drop much next high season. Why not go during the off season when finding accommodations won't be so difficult?12
Not a rip off culture. I got the sense (just got back after 3 week trip) that some merchants are experimenting with how much they can ask for from tourists in the tourist markets in Yangon, or they charge what they usually do anyway. As for bargaining and hassles from touts, etc., Myanmar is tame in comparison to other SEA countries like vietnam and thailand. Does not seem to be as much concern over thievery. I saw many stores in Inle and Bagan, where their cash register was an open box on the counter with wads of bills they would paw through to get your change - kind of like Laos, years ago where I walked into a bank in Pakse and saw bales of cash, (looked like bales of hay to those who have seen farms) piled in a corner of the front lobby without any guards.
