AS MYANMAR becomes an increasingly popular tourist destination, river cruises along the Irrawaddy and Chindwin have become a segment to look out for buyers and sellers alike.
“We are seeing about a 50 per cent increase in demand for river cruises over the last two years,” said Swe Swe Myint, managing director, Legendary Myanmar Travel and Art. “We used to operate with just two cruises, but now we have expanded to five cruises.
“The demand is coming strongest from European and American visitors, who are keen to view the daily lifestyles on riverbanks, experience parties on sandbanks and spot the Irrawaddy River dolphins,” she added.
Thomas Carnevale, managing director of Asian Trails Myanmar, opined that while ocean cruising might have reached its limits in Myanmar mainly due to limited port facilities, the country’s river cruise market is “still in its infancy and further growth can be expected, especially from the US and Australia”. Demand for river cruises is coming strongest from the UK market, he added.
Cruise lines are also responding to this demand, with an influx of boutique vessels set to make their debut in the next two years. AmaPura and Sanctuary Ananda will begin sailing in November this year, while Avalon Myanmar and Shin Arahan will debut in 2015.
Union of Myanmar Travel Association general secretary, U Naung Naung Han, said: “All vessels are full until March 2015.
“(In fact), tour operators need to pay deposits of between 50 per cent and 100 per cent when making bookings.”
However, Myanmar’s dearth of hotels is stymieing the growth of the river cruising market.
“Myanmar definitely has potential and many Americans haven’t been to Myanmar yet, but the price factor is stopping them from readily purchasing Myanmar, especially when they compare prices with countries in the Indochina region,” observed Cindy Lam, president of US-based Solutions Travel Service.
“I expect the surge (in river cruising) to really pick up after 2015 when more hotel rooms come online and prices become even more competitive.”
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Additional report from Mimi Hudoyo
