Myanmar authorities are planning to develop the Mergui islands into a tourist destination according to a report in the Bangkok Post, 25 May.
Myanmar will give the green light to new hotels in its southern most archipelago by the end of the year, officials say. The largely unspoilt Mergui archipelago comprises 800 islands in the Andaman Sea, just off the continental coast.
Some 27 local companies and joint ventures are awaiting approval from the Myanmar Investment Commission for new hotel and resort projects on the islands.
Among the residents of the Mergui archipelago are about 2,000 “sea gypsies,” known as Salons in Myanmar and Moken internationally, a nomadic ethnic minority who live in boats and are thought to have migrated there from southern China around 4,000 years ago.