Burma's 92-year-old Strand Hotel re

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Subject: Burma's 92-year-old Strand Hotel re

/* Written  4:26 pm  Nov  9, 1993 by tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.seasia */
/* ---------- "Burma's 92-year-old Strand Hotel re" ---------- */
Subject: Burma's 92-year-old Strand Hotel reopens as five-star facility


Subject: Burma's 92-year-old Strand Hotel reopens as five-star facility
Date: Saturday, November 6, 1993

	RANGOON (UPI) -- The Strand Hotel of Rangoon, a 92-year-old relic of
British colonial times, has reopened as Burma's first five-star facility
after two years of extensive repairs and renovations.
	The presence of two deputy prime ministers, ministers, and foreign
diplomats at the reopening ceremony on Friday reflected the importance
the military regime attaches to the hotel as one of Burma's main tourist
draws.
	The work to upgrade the original 100-bed four-star hotel, built in
1901, was undertaken by the Myanmar Hotels International Ltd, a joint-
venture formed in 1990 between the state-owned Myanmar Hotels and
Tourism Enterprise and the Strand Hotel International Ltd., incorporated
in the British Virgin Islands.
	``The hotel had been upgraded in such a way that its original
character and features are not lost, and it is the first project
financed by foreign investment in Burma,'' Hotel and Tourism Minister
Lt.-Gen. Kyaw Ba said at the ceremony, the state-run New Light of
Myanmar newspaper reported on Saturday.
	He added that the 700-seat Mingala (reception) hall built next door
to the main hotel is the biggest and the most modern hall in Rangoon. He
said a 120-room annex also will be built.
	Speaking of measures to boost hotel accommodation in the capital, he
said eight ongoing projects are set to be completed by 1994-95, and six
more are now being processed for official approval. He expected that
with the completion of these projects, estimated to cost $16.5 million,
Rangoon will have a total of 800 hotel beds.
	``Because of her historical and cultural heritages, and her unspoilt
natural beauty, Burma enjoys good prospects for a booming hotel and
tourism industry,'' he said.