Myanmar to crack down on job seekers

July 06, 2016 GoAsiaDayTrip 0 Comments

YANGON, 6 July 2016: Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism says it will take legal action against tour companies that provide travel arrangements for illegal workers overseas.

The ministry director, U Myo Win Nyunt, told Myanmar Times that agencies would be made responsible for the safe return of all their customers from overseas trips. They could lose their licence to operate if they failed to do so.

“We haven’t taken action yet since we started issuing licences to outbound tour companies. But we intend to take legal action and cancel licences if a company leaves behind a Myanmar citizen overseas,” he said.

Union of Myanmar Travel Association chairman, U Thet Lwin Toh, was quoted saying “dishonest” customers buy travel packages with the intention of staying behind in order to look for a job overseas, in countries such as Japan, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

This reflected badly both on the tourism industry and national dignity, he said.

“The ministry bears a responsibility because they have issued a licence….these days, people can get to foreign countries for just USD4,200. Tour companies have to exercise due care.”

Ministry of Hotels and Tourism says it has issued 227 outbound operating licences to travel agencies as of June this year, out of more than 2,000 tour companies in the country.