Shedding light on how money is spent from heritage site ticket sales

When you hand over your money to enter a heritage site do you ever wonder where your money goes?

Anyone imagining that money from ticket sales is plowed into archaeological research or heritage preservation activities will be saddened to learn the truth, at least as far as Myanmar's famed Bagan Archaeological Area is concerned. Bagan is one of the country's top tourist attractions and on UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage sites since 1996.

Bagan pagoda (credit G. Kipling)

However, as revealed in a recent tender, the agreement reached between the Government and the Myanmar Tourism Federation (MTF), which took over ticket sales for the Archaeological Area at the beginning of March, provides for only two percent of revenues to be spent on conservation and maintenance. The remainder is split between the state's coffers (90 percent) and MTF (8 percent).

Reportedly, the site attracted more than 240,000 visitors in the past year, generating USD4.1 million in ticket sale revenues.

Bagan pagoda (credit G. Kipling)

Given the poor state of repair of many pagodas in Bagan - not to mention renovations of a dubious quality - it is a shame that the Myanmar government did not see to reinvest more in the preservation of this unique site.

Questionable restoration work threatens ancient pagoda at Myanmar's Mrauk-U

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Spanish philosopher George Santayana's words seem an apt characterization of the Myanmar Department of Archaeology as it pushes forward with questionable restoration work at Mrauk-U in Rakhine State. Mrauk-U was the capital of the Arakanese kingdom between the 15th to the 18th century, and boasts more 1,500 ancient pagodas.

Couloir-Koe-Thaung by Nils PERBET

As reported by the Myanmar Times this week, the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust has raised the alarm over the rebuilding of historic pagodas without regard for the original design, abandoning any pretence of historical authenticity. This follows on the heels of the reported destruction of part of the heritage zone some years ago for the construction of a railway.

While some continue to hold Mrauk-U as a potential world heritage site, the experience of Bagan does not offer much cause optimism. Impressive by any measure and undoubtedly one of Myanmar's top tourist attractions, Bagan's 1996 nomination as a world heritage was rejected by UNESCO, in part due to the prevalence of inauthentic restorations.

Pagodas at Bagan

We can only hope that the Rakhine State Government heeds the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust's warnings.

Yangon: Prime candidate for world heritage status?

For anyone who has been in Yangon recently, it is clear that it is a city undergoing dramatic change. After decades of somnolence under Myanmar's military government, the recent political and economic thaw is producing rapid, seemingly uncontrolled development. During my visit earlier this year, traffic jams were among the worst I've experienced and construction hoardings were ubiquitous.

Typical street in central Yangon

However, Yangon remains a gem by any measure. Not only does it boast the highest number of colonial-era buildings anywhere in South-East Asia but its Shwedagon Pagoda should be on everyone must-visit list. As such, I agree with UNESCO National Project Officer Daw Ohnmar Myo's assessment, reported this week in the Myanmar Times, that Yangon is a prime candidate to be listed as a world heritage site.

Colonial-era building near Yangon's waterfront

While such a designation could also help to ensure protection of the city's many architectural treasures, whether an application is ever made remains an open question. Not only is there some confusion as to which level of government should take responsibility for coordinating the application, but certain business interests are unlikely to appreciate the limits on development that a world heritage designation would entail. Let's hope the case for heritage preservation wins the day.

Yangon's famed Shwedagon Pagoda