YANGON, 29 May 2019: Myanmar continues to campaign to get the ancient town of Bagan listed as a World Heritage site.
Efforts to win a place on the prestigious UNESCO listing have intensified over the last three years, but without any indication when the city would gain a review at the UNESCO annual general meeting.
Myanmar Tourism Directory Association organised an event at the weekend campaigning for renewed efforts to win recognition for a city that has a colourful 1,000-year old history.
According to a quote picked up by Xinhua news service, Department of Archaeology and National Museum and Library deputy director-general U Thein Lwin noted: “If Bagan gets included in the list, it will raise our national integrity and promote tourism”
He claimed that by gaining World Heritage status would significantly boost tourism, which in turn will create more jobs for local residents.
However, that message doesn’t please everyone, as a growing lobby of local residents fear UNESCO World Heritage status would speed up commercialisation and bring the blight of so-called ‘overtourism’ to Bagan.
Myanmar first applied for World Heritage status for Bagan back in 1996 and failed due to a failure to comply with the agency’s guidelines.
Now after reapplying in 2018, the government is now confident it has fulfilled all conditions.
The decision on including Bagan on the list could take place at the UNESCO annual general meeting due to be held in Baku the capital of Azerbaijan this July.
Even though Bagan is famed for having more than 3,000 ancient pagodas there are still doubts over the town’s restoration work and whether there are laws in place to protect heritage sites.
Meanwhile, the Xinhua report said Myanmar would also submit a “nomination dossier to the UNESCO for the inclusion of another ancient town, Mrauk U, in western Rakhine state.
Around 70% of the draft nomination dossier has been completed and will be all ready by July for submission to UNESCO at the end of September.
Three ancient Pyu cities – Hanlin, Beikthano and Sri Kestra – located in Sagaing, Magway and Bago regions, joined the World Heritage list in 2014 making them the first to be recognised in Myanmar.
