Although most of the tour operators offer a variety of tour types, each of which has their own strength in particular areas. So, you need to determine clearly which type of tour you want. Is it budget, mid-level or luxury tour? Is it private, guided or small group tour? Is it discovery or adventure tour? The more you clarify your want, the more you choose a really suitable Myanmar tour operator. Pick about 5 units before coming to the next steps.
Make sure that the Burma tour operators you chose have a history of providing services with good quality. The best measurement is what past clients said about their own experience. Do online research on the third-party site such as Tripadvisor, which have reviews and forums that can be very useful for you. This step is a little bit consuming, as you will do read a huge amount of information to filter out potentially ‘fake’ reviews that are either overly negative or positive.
In case you have the time, the better way to narrow down your list of tour operators you are considering is to require the Myanmar tour operator for 10 past client references that you can personally contact. Select a few and call them to ask their experience with the tour operator.
In addition, ask the tour operator to send you the copies of licenses which prove that they legally run your intended Burma tours. This is particularly important in case you plan to visit the restricted areas for foreigners and tourists in Myanmar. Make sure that you will be fully supported to get permission from the government to enter these areas. Pay attention to the validity & dates of the licenses to make sure that they are not expired.
Your interaction with the Myanmar tour operator during the booking process will be a good criterion to evaluate how well they run your intended tour. You can assess this in several aspects, such as:
Responsiveness – One of the most important features for working with any company is how responsive they are. Really good tour operators are always easily assessable via multiple communication channels, such as phone, email, and even social networks, and respond your contact quickly.
Friendliness – Are their representatives friendly? Do they listen carefully to your needs and wants? It’s better for you to choose the tour operator who has an open conservation with you to determine what they could do for you so that you would experience the best journey rather than only tries to persuade you to buy their tour.
Payment Terms – How easy is it to pay for their services? A prestigious tour operator in Burma commonly requires a deposit along with advanced payment of the balance at the booking time (about 25-50%), and the rest will be paid one or two weeks before the actual departure day. In some cases, they are quite flexible to require the balance payment on arrival at the first destination.
Ecotourism is a growing trend among travelers. It’s about more responsible travel, not only for the environment but also for the local community. This means using local hotels, guides and other services, and making sure to reduce waste and bad effects on the local habitat. In addition, look at the local organizations and community programs the tour operator has supported to assess whether they are really a responsible business which tends to offer more interactive and better tours that also give you a good degree of autonomy.
Making a right choose of Myanmar tour operator is certainly an important factor to bring about the success of your Myanmar travel. We expect that you will take advantage of these tips to find out the best.
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