Bagan to renew temple climbing ban

A ban on climbing the pagodas of the archaeological site of Bagan in Myanmar is to be reinstated.

The authorities prohibited tourists from scaling the iconic temples last year, but back-pedalled on the ban after tour operators expressed concerns that it would be bad for business.

The latest about-turn is thought to have been motivated by Bagan’s bid to become a Unesco World Heritage Site; in order to qualify for such a status, the authorities must show they are taking sufficient measures to protect the monuments.

Bagan’s vast field of temples – built between the 10th and 14th centuries – are considered holy sites in the Buddhist-majority country. But as Myanmar has opened up to the outside world, concerns have been raised that the ensuing increase in tourism has endangered the historic site.

“Bagan’s ancient buildings have been there for many years and we are concerned about damaging the pagodas and the danger of hurting people,” the Burmese ministry said.

Though the intentions behind the ban are admirable, it will come as a blow to many tourists: watching the sunset from the top of a pagoda is considered an essential experience when visiting the country.

However, the authorities are reportedly considering a range of options to ensure holidaymakers can still get good views of the region’s sensational sunsets. They include the installation of a tethered helium balloon and the construction of man-made hills near the temple complex.

It is not known when the new ban will come into force, but already some temples are off limits to tourists after an earthquake in August 2016 left many buildings damaged. FOUR airlines have been exempted from the US laptop ban after introducing enhanced pre-flight screening measures.

Passengers flying to the US from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Istanbul, with Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines, will no longer be prevented from taking large electronic devices, such as iPads, laptops and Kindles, into the cabin.

At the time of going to press, the restrictions, first announced in March, still apply to US-bound flights from six cities in Muslim-majority countries: Amman, Cairo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Casablanca and Kuwait City. An equivalent UK gadget ban remains in place on all inbound services from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.