PHOTO: The Sanctuary Ananda rides the Irrawaddy River.

There’s still a perception among many travelers that Myanmar is unsafe and still slightly off limits. Visitation to the country made a quantum leap after sanctions were lifted to help establish the political reforms negotiated by the U.S. State Department. Agents selling the country’s most popular travel experience, Irrawaddy River cruising, can actually turn this misperception of an edgy destination to their advantage by pitching the ship as a luxurious shield in a newly emerging destination. It won’t be the first time that river cruise ships find themselves being used by travelers as a safe and comfortable way to explore unchartered waters. Many agents and operators used the Danube and its ships as a way to explore Eastern Europe in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Berlin Wall. And it worked: Danube cruising is a mainstay of European travel now.

The growing fleet of ships on the Irrawaddy gives your clients a way to experience the country by bringing their own luxury lodging, restaurant-quality food and transport with them. The Sanctuary Ananda, which just began sailing the river in November, is positioned in the top tier of luxury ships on the Irrawaddy. So how do you sell the ship to your clients?

Selling river cruises always requires more of an emphasis on selling the destination than does selling ocean cruises. River ships sail inland and are much more integrated with their destinations. So you need to sell Myanmar from the onset and there’s plenty to sell. Unlike the Philippines or Indonesia, Myanmar is part of the Asian mainland and connects Southeast Asia to East India and Bangladesh, geographically and culturally.

The rivers of Myanmar are the cultural arteries of the country, a country that is home to 135 ethnic groups that are mostly unified by Buddhism, though there are many Christians and Muslims living there as well. The Irrawaddy River meanders through Myanmar’s dusty Central Plains, where literally thousands of golden stupas and pagodas gleam on its shores. The sacred sites of Buddhism, the villages and the crafts are the main attractions. Bagan, with its 42 square miles that hold some 2,500 temples and stupas, is most assuredly the highlight of the cruise if not all of Myanmar.

Itineraries

PHOTO: Iconography at the Saigaing Temple Complex details the Buddha’s path to enlightenment through many lives.

The Sanctuary Ananda’s core itinerary begins in Mandalay and sails down river to Bagan. That itinerary is sold as a component that you can combine with a broader Myanmar itinerary or even a Southeast Asian itinerary. Though the ship is owned by Abercrombie & Kent subsidiary Sanctuary Retreats, the ship can be combined into the programs of other tour operators. The ship also does some alternative cruises farther up the Irrawaddy and, when the water’s high enough, up the Chindwin River.

Mandalay was mostly destroyed during World War II. You can still see the walls, which once surrounded the city’s royal compound. That compound, once comparable to Beijing’s Forbidden City, has been mostly destroyed. Mandalay’s Mahuman Temple Complex is centered by a towering gold-leaf Buddha who some think is an actual likeness of Buddha himself.

North of Mandalay, the view from the Saigaing Temple Complex gives that first sensation of an endless river-ribboned plain dotted with gold stupas and pagodas. The complex is home to a stately Buddha, and different sculptures of animals, including a rabbit and a toad that were different incarnations in the 550 lives the Buddha had to live through to get to enlightenment. On full moon nights in October and November, the temple stays open late to welcome the celestial beings who are believed to congregate there on those particular nights.

PHOTO: One excursion goes to U Bein Bridge for a sunset view over Taungthaman Lake.

Another popular spot is the incredibly scenic U Bein Bridge, a mile-long span that crosses Taungthaman Lake. It’s an extremely primitive bridge, assembled about 260 years ago from discarded teak timbers in the building of a temple. A small armada of gondolas takes visitors out two by two for a stunning sunset that casts the bridge into a majestic silhouette. The Sanctuary Ananda excursion features champagne served during rides on lake gondolas.

On another stop, passengers visit Sin Kyun Village, which receives support from Abercrombie & Kent, in a “give-back” project. A&K built a school here and a lodging to host a school teacher. The project is ongoing and in reciprocity the village is most amenable to the ship’s passengers, who can walk about the village photographing and engaging with its people.

One option is to ride a hot air balloon with Balloons Over Bagan. There’s no more inspiring way to appreciate that temple-dotted landscape. The flights include a champagne breakfast upon landing. These are just the highlights.

The ship also does a food market tour with the ship’s chef and calls at various craft shops from a silver smith’s to a cheroot roller’s. Onboard activities include cooking classes, a meditation session, longyi (a Burmese sarong) tying classes, a performance of traditional Burmese music and more.

The Ship

PHOTO: The Sanctuary Ananda uses textiles from many different ethnic groups in Myanmar to brighten the suites.

The Sanctuary Ananda can carry 42 passengers in its 21 cabin suites in three tiers of quality: deluxe (291 square feet), luxury (355 square feet) and the Owner’s Suite (721 square feet plus balcony and outdoor deck). The fourth deck of the ship comprises a bar, an outdoor deck area with plunge pool, a spa and (tiny) gym.

In its public areas and inside of its suites, the ship adds touches of Burmese flavor with hand-woven textiles from the various ethnic groups that make Myanmar such a diverse destination. Karen, Chin, Shan, Rakine and Burman are just some of the 135 different groups in the country. The patterns in the textiles are signatures of these different cultures and they’re used as wall hangings, table runners, throw pillows, among other ways.

In the kitchen, the strategy is to serve a broader Southeast Asian menu with an inclination toward Burmese cooking wherever possible. The Executive Chef, Sumet Sumpachanyanont hails from Thailand. The Talifoo Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food is also served on the Bagan deck, or in the Mindoon Restaurant on the Mandalay deck. The service has an exceptional staff-to-guest ratio of 46 to 42.

PHOTO: Sampling the Southeast Asian fare in the dining room of the Sanctuary Ananda.

According to agent Birgit Navarre, CTC, of McLean, VA-based McCabe Travel (www.mccabeworld.com), “River cruisers are looking for exotic new destinations and Myanmar fits the bill. The ship is beautiful, but it would help if there were more international standard hotels in Yangon, the gateway. It’s best to maintain a consistent level of quality for luxury travelers especially in a developing country.”

Even before it boarded its first paying passenger, the Sanctuary Ananda was fully booked through spring and the company immediately found itself debating whether or not to add more departures. A full 60 percent of the ship’s passengers will come from A&K. “As in our other SR product lines in Africa, China, Egypt and the Galapagos Islands, we allow our competitors to sell our products,” said Pamela Lassers, A&K’s director of communications, but of course “there will be advantages to booking through A&K.” According to Lassers, about 90 percent of A&K’s American Myanmar bookings come through travel agents.

For A&K, the Sanctuary Ananda brings a new river cruise product to a destination that is getting extremely popular. Myanmar has become A&K’s hottest exotic product. “It’s one of the last genuinely unspoiled destinations left in the world and there’s a feeling of wanting to get here before that changes,” said Debbie Hellman, A&K’s sales director southwest USA. Sanctuary Retreats is already looking at adding some of its boutique style properties along the river.