A transparent and accountable selection process is at the heart of the Myanmar Responsible Tourism Awards.
The selection process is made up of three key steps:
Stage 1: Shortlisting
Applications are reviewed by the MRTA Management Team, who will shortlisted candidates per category. The shortlisting is based on our General Judging Criteria.
Stage 2: Verification
Shortlisted candidates are visited onsite by our assessors, who verify the claims made in their application.
Stage 3: Panel Review
Our independent panel of judges meets to review the applications and findings from the on-site assessments to decide on the winner for each category. Applications for each category are scored against the same criteria; following an initial introduction by the assessors, the judges will discuss and agree scores as a group to ensure that a range of perspectives are taken into consideration. A panel chairperson will be present to oversee the discussion and to ensure that discussions are balanced and unbiased.
MRTA 2019 Assessors
Aye Chan Maung Maung has over 11 years of experience working within the tourist industry, not only in Myanmar but also in Singapore and Cambodia. In recent years, as Myanmar has opened up to overseas tourism, Aye Chan has been keen to show international tourists the best of what his home country has to offer. He graduated from Computer University, and also studied Tourism & Hospitality Management in Singapore. He has been involved in sustainable tourism development in Myanmar for the past three years with Sampan Travel. His focus is on minimizing costs whilst at the same time minimizing negative impacts on the environment and social life of local communities. He has attained Sustainability Manager Certification from Travel Life, a lead international organization advocating for sustainable tourism. He joined MRTI to create Responsible and Sustainable Tourism in Myanmar, as he believes strongly in making Myanmar not only a better place to visit, but also a better place to live.
Carina Barchanski is project assistant at Myanmar Responsible Tourism Institute (MRTI) in Yangon. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and is studying the Master’s Course Sustainable Tourism Management in Eberswalde, Germany. Besides her studies, she gained some work experience in coordination and monitoring of environmental projects in Cape Town, South Africa, as a program coordinator at a German tour operator in Corfu, Greece and in a travel agency in Hanover, Germany.
Kim Brademann is project assistant at Myanmar Responsible Tourism Institute (MRTI) in Yangon. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography at Humboldt-University Berlin and is studying Sustainable Tourism Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Germany. Kim has gained work experience in tourism consulting as assistant project manager in Germany with a focus on sustainable tourism development and market research and worked for a sustainable tour operator in Greece.
Julie Buchwald is working as a Program Manager in the tourism sector for the Hanns Seidel Foundation. She gained significant experience working in project acquisition, development, and management, as well as donor compliance for international NGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Mediation and a Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Development.
Julie’s special interest lies in youth education and livelihood improvement. She was also active as an intercultural competence trainer for international development workers.
Mona Konrad is working as a liaison consultant for the Dutch government agency CBI (www.cbi.eu) and the UN International Trade Centre (www.intracen.org) on the NTF4 project which focusses on inclusive tourism development in Kayah and Tanintharyi . Since the start of the CBI program in 2017/18 she has been coaching tour operators in Myanmar in sustainable management and guided the participating tour companies to Travelife Partner Recognition. She holds a Masters Degree in Sustainable Tourism Management, focusing on elephant tourism in Myanmar for her thesis and she supported the Myanmar Responsible Tourism Institute in 2016 for the UNICEF Child Safe Tourism Project.
Win Min joined Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) in 2017 after studying public policy in the US, where he also worked as a speaker and lecturer in various academic institutions and government agencies. He is currently MCRB Senior
Program Associate for Tourism, Environment, Consumer Protection, Safety and Regulatory. In this role, Win Min works with stakeholders to advocate for an improved legal and regulatory framework for Myanmar business. Win Min is a member of Myanmar Coastal Resource Management Advisory Committee and develops regulations and guidelines to allow business such as Eco Tourism or Marine Tourism in coastal areas. Min has conducted responsible tourism training for relevant stakeholders and
organized multi- stakeholder tourism conferences bringing all the relevant stakeholders of tourism together to discuss the future of tourism industry, tourism and community and tourism and environmental conservation.
Ms. Yin Yin Thatun is the International Projects Coordinator at AVI, an Australian NGO which strengthens and build capacity for development in Myanmar. She is responsible for managing a number of projects including AVI’s Sustainable Tourism Hub called Jozaso, and also helps manage Child Safe Volunteering (CSV) Hub. Prior to her current role she has worked in different non-profit organisations in the U.S., Australia and Sweden focusing on areas of international development, women and youth empowerment and inclusive peace. For MRTA 2019, Yin Yin has contributed as an assessor for Best Child Safe Tourism.
MRTA 2019: Judges
Daw Cho Cho Mar, Freelance Tourism Advisor, Trainer (GSTC)
Cho Cho acquired a solid background in hospitality at the Park Royal Hotel Yangon, Madinat Jumeirah Dubai and Park Hyatt Dubai, reaching executive level. Returning from the UAE, for 5
years Cho Cho oversaw the implementation of Hospitality Training in Myanmar for Swisscontact. Cho Cho is presently a consultant, working on the development of tourism in Chin State for Action Aid, and advising the Finnish National Agency for Education on Capacity Building in Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship in Myanmar. Cho Cho is passionate about preserving cultural and natural diversity in Myanmar through delivering responsible tourism services. Her passion led her to become a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certified trainer.
In this role, Cho Cho has been involved in providing training to tourism stakeholders in sustainable practices and implementation of GSTC standards in Myanmar.
U Khin Aung Htun: Executive Director
A leading figure in Myanmar Tourism sector, Khin Aung Htun is Vice Chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation (MTF) and Myanmar Hotelier Association (MHA-Bagan Zone), Senior Vice Chairman (1) Myanmar Restaurant Association (MRA) and Executive Committee Member of the ASEAN Hotel and Restaurant Association. In addition, Khin Aung Htun is Managing Director of companies responsible for leading Myanmar tourism brands including The Hotel @ Tharabar Gate, Zwekapin Valley Resort & Spa and Ngapali Bay Villas & Spa.
Daw May Moe Wah: Nature Advocate & Management Professional
May left Myanmar in 1995 and returned in 2011. Ever since then, she has not looked back. Using more than 15 years of knowledge and professional experiences she has gained, May has been giving back to Myanmar society through various talks, seminars and trainings across Myanmar, SE Asia and Asia-Pacific. An avid nature and wildlife advocate, May has been actively championing and influencing decision makers, the government, the public and private sectors for the conservation and protection of nature and wildlife. May is:
- Partnerships Director at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
- Advisor to the Nature & Wildlife Conservation Committee (NLD)
- Professional practitioner for Change Management & Organisational Development from London School of Management, United Kingdom
- Graduate of Victoria University, Australia with a Master in Business Administration & Bachelors in Business in Banking & Finance
- Founder of Australian Alumni Association – Myanmar (AAM)
- Founder of “The Change”, a children’s education foundation
Daw Sabei Aung: Tourism Entrepreneur and Educator
Sabei Aung has and MBA from Yangon University of Economics and 26 years experience in tourism. She is Chairperson of Nature Dream Travel, an inbound/outbound tour operator focusing on DMC, luxury and professional markets. She is representative of Chehobo, partner of TourTourist and she established the Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Club Facebook Group. Sabei Aung is invited lecturer at the National Management Degree College and University of Foreign Languages, an author and founder of the NGO, ‘Extend a Helping Hand’.
U San Hla Phone: Tourism Consultant
San Hal Phone received an MBA degree from Yangon University Economics, a Diploma in
German language from Yangon University of Foreign Languages and studied destination management in Korea. San Hla Phone is the owner of Nature Scope Travels and Tours and a consultant in the Myanmar Tourism sector. He teaches tourism management at Trust Vocational Training Institute and provides information and advice on ASEAN standards for child safe tourism for tourist police at Myanmar Ministry of Home Affairs.
San Hla Phone is Joint Secretary General 1 for Union of Myanmar Travel Association (UMTA).
Daw Yu Yu Naing: UK Department for International Development
Yu Yu Naing is a Private Sector Development Adviser at the UK Department for International Development. She believes poverty reduction and inclusive growth can be achieved through a vibrant and competitive private sector, and the environment that enables it. She has experience working in Trade and Investment, Extractive sector, Market systems development, and Power Sector. One of her projects, Business Innovation Facility, supported Myanmar’s Tourism sector until mid this year. She holds a Master of Economics from Chiang Mai University and a Bachelor of Development Studies from Yangon Institute of Economics.
MRTA 