Yangon Regional Government planned to make the beach at Sal Eain Tann Village in Kungyangon Township into an official beach and tourist attraction

On June 25, a lawmaker at the Yangon Regional Parliament asked whether the regional government has plans to make the beach at Sal Eain Tann Village in Kungyangon Township, Yangon, into an official beach and tourist attraction.

Naw Pan Thinzar Myo, the Regional Minister for Karen Ethnic Affairs, replied that before making it into an attraction filled with swimming, frolicking, tourists enjoying a barbecue on the beach, the regional ministry will have to conduct a survey to ascertain whether it is an economically viable venture. It will then submit the findings to the Yangon Government.

On January 1, 2015, the Union Ministry of Hotels and Tourism issued an announcement that this area would be an official beach, and that it would open for visitors. On the face of it, this looked like a fantastic idea, as it is located less than 100 kilometers south of Yangon, and is the closest beach to the city.

However, according to TravelDojo, a travel guide website: “Sadly, Letkhokkon Beach fails to live up to expectations,”it says, adding that it “is no tropical beach paradise.”Why?

While most of Myanmar’s beaches boast crystal-clear water and powdery-white sand, the Bago River flows into the sea in the area of Letkhokkon, turning the area into what the travel site describes as “a dark mud flat.”There was only one hotel in the town licensed for foreigners, and it was expensive.

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism leased the 18-bedroom Letkhokkon Hotel to a hotel operator, but now that operator has returned the hotel to the Ministry. Sadly, the premises are in need of massive renovation before reopening, according to Naw Pan Thizar Myo.

Additionally, she added that the regional government needs to do another ground study to consider a future infrastructure development plan, one based on the availability of fresh water and access to electricity.

For infrastructure development, the government needs to consider the availability of state funds; if none, or not enough funds, are available then the government will need to decide whether to enter into a private/public partnership based on the economic viability for investors.

Can such a venture work? Possibly. As a character in one popular film once said: “If you build it, they will come.”

(Myanmar Business Today: https://www.mmbiztoday.com/articles/can-yangon-regional-gov-t-turn-lekhokkon-beach-tourist-attraction )

​