Myanmar Joins ASEAN Tourism Talks as Human Rights Crisis Shadows Investment

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MANILA, Philippines — Myanmar joined ASEAN tourism leaders at the ASEAN Tourism Ministers’ Retreat in Manila on 29 September 2026, as Southeast Asian governments discussed sustainable tourism investment, infrastructure and regional resilience. Myanmar’s delegation was led by H.E. Daw Ei Ei Tin, Ambassador/Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Myanmar in Manila.

Held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the retreat was chaired by Philippine Tourism Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso and attended by tourism ministers, deputy ministers and ASEAN representatives. The meeting comes as Myanmar remains affected by armed conflict, displacement and serious human-rights concerns, putting questions over tourism safety, investment, military-linked commercial interests and the beneficiaries of tourism revenue alongside ASEAN’s efforts to promote sustainable tourism growth.

ASEAN ministers focus on sustainable tourism investment

A central topic at the Manila retreat was the development of the ASEAN Sustainable and Resilient Tourism Investment Outlook, an initiative intended to mobilise quality and sustainable investment, strengthen tourism infrastructure, improve the resilience of destinations and increase competitiveness across Southeast Asia.

The retreat was held alongside the ASEAN Tourism Investment Showcase, where participating ASEAN member states and relevant stakeholders exchanged views and presented opportunities for investment in the region’s tourism sector.

The wider objective is to strengthen ASEAN as an interconnected and competitive tourism region while encouraging investment capable of withstanding economic shocks, environmental pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and other disruptions.

For most ASEAN destinations, that discussion centers on attracting capital, improving connectivity and encouraging travelers to explore destinations beyond established tourism centers.

For Myanmar, however, those objectives intersect with a far more difficult political, security, humanitarian and human-rights environment.

Who attended the ASEAN Tourism Ministers’ Retreat?

The 29 September meeting brought together ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials responsible for tourism from ASEAN member states, as well as representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat.

Myanmar Tourism Push Raises Questions Across ASEAN Over Safety and Human Rights

Myanmar was represented by a delegation headed by H.E. Daw Ei Ei Tin, Ambassador/Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Manila.

The retreat was chaired by H.E. Ms. Verna Buensuceso, Undersecretary of the Department of Tourism of the Philippines.

The Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN and his delegation also participated.

The gathering formed part of ASEAN’s wider effort to coordinate tourism policy as Southeast Asian destinations confront changing international travel patterns, economic uncertainty, climate risks and geopolitical tensions.

Why Myanmar’s participation matters

Myanmar remains an ASEAN member, but its position within the organisation has been complicated since the military seized power on 1 February 2021.

ASEAN responded to the crisis with its Five-Point Consensus, calling for an end to violence, constructive dialogue among the parties, humanitarian assistance and diplomatic engagement.

ASEAN leaders have subsequently acknowledged a lack of substantive progress in implementing the consensus.

Myanmar’s appearance at a sector-specific gathering such as the Tourism Ministers’ Retreat therefore needs to be distinguished from ASEAN’s handling of Myanmar’s political representation at its highest-level meetings.

The Manila gathering demonstrates that Myanmar continues to participate in areas of ASEAN technical and economic cooperation even as the organisation continues to confront the unresolved political and humanitarian crisis in the country.

Tourism in Myanmar: major potential, severe constraints

Myanmar possesses some of Southeast Asia’s most significant cultural and natural tourism assets.

They include the ancient temples of Bagan, Yangon’s religious and colonial heritage, Inle Lake, beaches, mountain landscapes and the Myeik Archipelago.

Before years of political instability and conflict, Myanmar had been attempting to establish itself as one of Southeast Asia’s emerging international tourism destinations.

That development has been severely disrupted.

The military takeover in February 2021 triggered widespread resistance and an armed conflict that subsequently expanded across large parts of the country.

Millions of people have been displaced internally or across international borders, while fighting and insecurity continue to affect numerous regions.

Several foreign governments maintain extensive travel warnings for Myanmar because of armed conflict, arbitrary detention, political violence and unpredictable security conditions.

Tourism nevertheless continues on a reduced scale, including domestic travel and some international arrivals.

This creates a stark contrast with the investment agenda discussed in Manila: ASEAN is considering new destinations, stronger infrastructure and tourism investment through 2030 while significant areas of Myanmar remain affected by conflict or difficult to access safely.

Myanmar tourism and human rights

The relationship between tourism and human rights in Myanmarextends beyond the immediate question of whether foreign visitors can travel safely.

One of the central questions is where tourism money ultimately goes.

Concerns about tourism revenues and military-linked commercial interests predate the February 2021 takeover.

A United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission investigated the extensive commercial interests of Myanmar’s armed forces, including the military-linked conglomerates Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL)and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC).

The UN investigation identified military commercial interests across numerous economic sectors, including links to the hotel and tourism industry.

It called for enhanced human-rights due diligence and urged businesses and consumers to avoid commercial relationships that could financially benefit military-controlled enterprises.

This does notmean that every hotel, restaurant, tour operator or tourism business in Myanmar is associated with the military.

That distinction is important.

Tourism can also provide income directly to ordinary people — including independent guides, drivers, restaurant employees, craftspeople, family-owned accommodation providers and local communities — many of whom are themselves struggling with the economic consequences of conflict.

The human-rights question surrounding Myanmar tourism is therefore more complex than simply asking whether tourists should or should not visit.

Relevant questions include who owns tourism businesses, who ultimately receives travellers’ money, how tourism land was acquired, how workers are treated, whether communities participate in decisions and whether commercial arrangements benefit entities associated with human-rights abuses.

Rohingya crisis remains part of the tourism discussion

Any discussion of responsible or sustainable tourism in Myanmar also exists against the background of the continuing human-rights situation involving the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities.

The Rohingya crisis, mass displacement and continuing conflict in Rakhine State have been the subject of extensive scrutiny by United Nations bodies and international human-rights organisations.

This becomes particularly relevant when tourism development involves land, infrastructure or investment in conflict-affected areas.

Projects promoted as sustainable cannot necessarily be assessed solely according to environmental credentials or financial returns.

Questions surrounding land ownership, displacement, community consent, security and the distribution of economic benefits are also relevant to assessing the sustainability of tourism development.

Tourism investment in a conflict-affected country

These conditions create difficult questions for international tourism investors.

Myanmar’s tourism potential remains substantial. Years of reduced international tourism have also left many people working in hospitality and associated sectors in need of income.

Investment could potentially support employment, independent businesses, cultural preservation and community livelihoods.

But investment in a conflict-affected country requires considerably greater scrutiny than an ordinary hotel, resort or tourism development project.

Investors need to understand who owns the land on which projects are built, who their local partners are, where payments ultimately go and whether commercial partners have connections with sanctioned, military-controlled or military-associated entities.

Similar considerations can apply to international tour operators when selecting hotels, transportation providers, destination-management companies and other suppliers.

This is where the language used at the ASEAN meeting — particularly “quality and sustainable investment”— becomes especially significant.

In Myanmar, quality tourism investment cannot realistically be assessed only by the amount of capital invested, the number of hotel rooms constructed or the number of tourists attracted.

Its wider social and human-rights consequences also matter.

What does sustainable tourism mean in a conflict zone?

The Manila retreat placed sustainability and resilienceat the centre of ASEAN’s future tourism strategy.

Myanmar tests how broadly those concepts are interpreted.

A tourism development can reduce plastic consumption, conserve water and improve energy efficiency while still raising serious sustainability concerns if land was obtained without meaningful community consent or if revenue ultimately reaches entities implicated in abuses.

Conversely, carefully structured tourism can potentially provide livelihoods, support independent businesses, preserve cultural heritage and generate income for communities facing severe economic hardship.

For investors, this means environmental due diligence alone may be insufficient.

Companies considering tourism projects in Myanmar also need to examine ownership structures, business partners, land arrangements, financial beneficiaries, sanctions exposure and possible connections with military-controlled or military-associated entities.

Tour operators face similar considerations when selecting hotels, transportation providers and local partners.