Bagan Entry Fee to Rise by One-Third
 

Is this just the beginning?

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/bagan...one-third.html

It makes perfect sense. When I had a business, the common wisdom was, if no one ever said "no", you weren't charging enough. I ended up charging the highest rates around and still no one said no. If you have the best to offer then people will pay for it. And the temples in Bagan and the area around are worth just about anything they may decide to charge to visit. And for those unwilling to pay, good, it'll keep it less crowded for the rest of us. The new rate, $20, is nothing.

I'm sure it is just the beginning. The intention is to use the money to prepare for Bagan's entry into the UNESCO World Heritage sites. That's a worthy cause, IMO. Compare the Bagan fee with Angkor, for instance. A one day entry fee to Angkor is $20.

I'm all for it. No harm done - simple economics.

It would be interesting to know if the entry fees will go to maintaining the site.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/nationa...uption-alleged

Many locals believe that the fees primarily benefit Sokimax and Prime minister Hun Sen, not the temples.

<i>"Many locals believe that the fees primarily benefit Sokimax and Prime minister Hun Sen, not the temples."</i>

I'm referring to Angkor Temples.

And of course, it you have paid thousands of dollars to travel to Bagan, any entry fees are relatively miniscule.

There is no way to track who didn't want to pay, as they would normally not show up in Bagan and then say "no".

The article from the Irrawaddy says the money will be used to maintain the sites and prepare for inspection for UNESCO designation. I'm well aware that is no guarantee that the money will go there.

I remember when I was preparing to go to Angkor way back at the turn of the millennium, the rumor on Thorntree was that the Vietnamese were the beneficiaries of the Angkor entrance fees.

They are trying to squeeze more money out of tourism. They're not the only ones. 20 $ is not the end of the world.

It truly isn't the end of the world, especially since the prices of some hotels (the one I was supposed to stay in in Yangon, for instance) have gone up over 50% in the past year. I just hope the money goes for the projects in which it's intended.

Yes, me too, internetwiz.