Burma: in the midst of conflict, the temples of Bagan pray for the return of tourists

The temples of Bagan, jewels of Buddhist architecture, form an island of serenity. in the middle of the civil war raging in Burma, but, due to a lack of tourists, the local economy threatens to collapse.

“Some days we don't see anyone,” notes a souvenir seller on a hill overlooking the ruins of the ancient sacred city, where visitors once came to take a photo at sunset.

Nestled on a bank of the Irrawaddy River, over more than 50 km2 in the middle of the jungle, the archaeological site contains hundreds of monasteries, stupas and temples which bear witness to the greatness of the first Burmese empire, between the 11th and 13th centuries.

During the 2010s, Bagan became a fashionable destination in Southeast Asia among travelers, who appreciated its charm preserved, a legacy of decades of isolation of the country under army domination.

Visitors to the Ananda temple in Bagan on July 7, 2024 in Burma © AFP – Sai Aung MAIN

But the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict which followed the 2021 coup d'état against Aung San Suu Kyi, put a stop to the opening of Burma, now plunged in chaos with no immediate peaceful outcome.

About one million foreign tourists — mainly Chinese and Thai — visited Myanmar in 2023, according to a representative of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

– Boutiques closed –

If the figure marks a sharp increase compared to 2022 (200,000 visitors), it remains much lower than its Thai neighbors (28 million) and Laotian (3, 4 million), and at the levels observed before Covid (3.4 million in 2017).

Visitors to the Bupaya temple in Bagan on July 7, 2024 in Burma © AFP – Sai Aung MAIN

In Bagan, many hotels and restaurants have closed, and guides and salespeople are unemployed due to lack of activity.

Durant a rare three-day stay there in July, AFP journalists did not encounter any foreign tourists.

A restaurateur explained that he did not was able to keep only half of its employees, due to economic difficulties.

“At least our business is still there (…) There are almost no visitor”, he reassures himself.

In recent months, the junta, in search of financial resources, has tried to attract Russian customers, Moscow being one of the few supporters of Naypyidaw, in particular by exempting tourists from visas, and by promising to accept payment cards Russian Mir.

The Thet Bin Nye temple in Bagan, July 7, 2024 in Burma © AFP – Sai Aung MAIN

But the intensification of the civil conflict and the collapse of the local economy under international sanctions, marked by the weakness of the local currency (the kyat) against the dollar, continue to constitute solid barriers to curious people wishing to visit the “land of a thousand pagodas”.

On the other bank of the Irrawaddy, the situation is much more worrying, residents describe. All those interviewed by AFP asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.

– Tarnished reputation –

Not far from the temples, sporadic fighting broke out between the junta and armed groups of pro-democracy opponents. Residents of Bagan say they regularly hear the sound of gunshots coming from the other side of the river.

Residents with their livestock in front of one of the temples of Bagan, July 7, 2024 in Burma © AFP – Sai Aung MAIN

Burma's reputation has also suffered from the success of a Chinese film, entitled “No More Bets”, about the trafficking of human beings forced to work in scam centers on behalf of mafioso.

If the feature film is set in a South-East Asian country that it takes care not to name, scenes evoke the situation in the north of Burma, considered a lawless zone, and in Beijing's crosshairs due to the presence of Chinese victims.

Near one of the pagodas of Bagan, a flower seller consoles herself as best she can.

“We are not doing well, but at least we have houses to live in, and food on our table”, she says.

“I can feel how much other people are suffering in other regions (…) The only one. “My wish is that the country and our jobs can improve. It's the wish that everyone wants to see come true”, she assures.

. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse