BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Htay Aung has been the union minister for the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, since September 2012. Mr. Htay Aung leads the ministry’s utmost efforts to develop the tourism sector as one of the seven priority sectors of the country, and he is dedicated to the development of responsible and sustainable tourism in Myanmar. He has strengthened the ministry’s organizational structure and collaboration between the ministry and tourism-related ministries, the private sector, multilateral and bilateral development partners, civil societies, and local communities. He initiated development of the “Myanmar Tourism Master Plan (2013–2020)” with the assistance of the Government of Norway and the Asian Development Bank. He served as a panelist at the 2013 World Economic Forum, held on June 5–7, 2013, in Nay Pyi Taw. He has been involved in the tourism industry for twenty-five years.

Mr. Htay Aung was previously deputy minister for the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism from 2011 to 2012. During this time, he undertook new initiatives in collaboration with the Hanns Seidal Foundation of Germany to adopt necessary policies for the Myanmar tourism industry, such as a Responsible Tourism Policy and a Policy on Community Involvement in Tourism.

From 2004 to 2011, he was director-general of the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism and the head of the National Tourism Organization (NTO), serving the tourism industry and enhancing the areas of tourism regulation, promotion, investment, and regional and international cooperation. Prior to this, he was managing director for the Myanmar Hotels and Tourism Services, responsible for managing government-owned hotels and a travel agency, and from 1994 to 1997 he worked as director of the tourism regulation department at the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. He was also engaged in tourism human resources development, management, and planning.

Mr. Htay Aung holds a master’s degree in tourism from the George Washington University (United States) and a bachelor’s degree in science from the Defense Services Academy, Pyin-Oo-Lwin (Myanmar). He successfully completed a diploma in administration from the Institute of Economics, Yangon, and completed studies to become a Registered Lawyer (R.L.) from 1984 to 1986.