The Bago Hoteliers Association has submitted a proposal to the regional cabinet for the creation of a hotel zone ahead of the opening of the proposed Hanthawaddy airport, slated for completion in 2022.
Without an increase in supply, Bago region’s hotels wouldn’t be able to match the rise in demand expected with the opening of what will be Myanmar’s largest airport.
There are 20 licensed hotels and 40 licensed guesthouses with a capacity of roughly 1,000 rooms operating in the region, while four new hotel projects are underway.
“We are closely watching the Hanthawaddy airport project. Bago’s existing supply of hotel rooms won’t be enough to meet demand if the Hanthawaddy project goes ahead,” U San Lwin, chairman of Myanmar Hoteliers Association, told Myanmar Business Today. “Now we are asking for approval from regional government and searching for an appropriate land area,”
An initial proposal for a hotel zone was submitted to the Bago regional government in August 2016 but the project only got as far as the preliminary land surveying stage.
Local hoteliers have said they require between 30 to 50 acres for small and medium sized hotels while larger developments involving upper-scale foreign hotel brands might need more than 100 acres.
A consortium of investors-JGC Corporation, Yongnam Holdings and Changi Airports International- won a tender to build and operate the Hanthawaddy airport project in 2014.
Source: Myanmar Business Today
