No rooms left as Burma booms

Travel Indochina says travellers will also face significant price rises, with costs expected to increase between 35 per cent and 50 per cent this year. "We have been advised that all suppliers, including hotels, transportation companies, domestic airlines, restaurants and freelance guides will be looking to increase their rates," Hole says.

"But I think the large majority of people who are interested in travelling to Burma are people who want to see it now and they're experienced travellers who understand that there is a price attached to that."

The chief executive of World Expeditions, Sue Badyari, says there have already been considerable increases, with prices up by about 30 per cent last year. "The demand versus the infrastructure availability is a problem and it's not going to get any easier in the short term," Badyari says. "There is a scurry of infrastructure development going on but it's going to take time.

"I think there will be ongoing problems with availability."

Intrepid Travel, which resumed operations to Burma last month after almost a decade's absence, found its trips for this year were quickly sold out. Even some 2013 departures have been fully booked.

Before its first tour had even left the company made the decision to add 36 extra departures, which took its schedule to a weekly departure for most of the year.

Exacerbating the demand-versus-availability ratio is the fact that Burma has a very defined travel season. Hole says the main season is from October to March, with many hotels and cruise boats suspending operations for the rest of the year.

Travellers can visit during the low season but need to understand that not everything will be available.

Hole says travellers need to book at least six months ahead and must have as much planned as possible.

"Even at the backpacking end of the market, turning up with nothing arranged would make for a very stressful time," he says.

Figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism show just over 10,400 Australians visited Burma in 2011 - a 35 per cent jump from the previous year.

Operators say they have been getting glowing reports from returning travellers.

Many say Burma represents the Asia of a few decades ago, before mainstream tourism arrived.

Lonely Planet describes it as "the authentic Asia, with creaking buses, potholed roads, locals who greet you like long-lost family and not a 7-Eleven in sight".

One of the biggest issues for travellers is making sure that money gets into the right hands and not into the hands of the junta (see the breakout box).

Lonely Planet says some travellers do this by avoiding government-run attractions (a list of these is available for free download from the Lonely Planet website) to help spread money across a range of smaller businesses "where it's less likely the regime is taking a cut".

For travellers booking with responsible tour operators, the research has already been done.

World Expeditions, for example, says it ensures 87 per cent of the money spent by its passengers goes into private hands, rather than to the military regime.

Nutshell ethics

The debate over whether or not we should travel to Burma is centred on human rights abuses by the country's military junta, which rules in the face of international condemnation.

The leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, previously asked tourists not to visit the country, saying it would represent an endorsement of the regime and put money in the wrong pockets.

However, she recently had a change of heart, stating that responsible travellers can help bring about change.

jane@janeefraser.com.au