BAGAN, Myanmar: For much of his life, Thuwunna Aung has made a living bringing wooden puppets to life.

He learnt the traditional art of marionette puppetry from his father, spending years honing his craft and performing for visitors in Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan. But these days, performances are few and far between.

“Foreign tourists are very scarce now, there’re practically none. It's mostly domestic Myanmar pilgrims,” he told CNA.

Puppeteer Thuwunna Aung makes adjustments to a puppet. The traditional art of marionette puppetry involves manipulating strings attached to a puppet’s limbs and other body parts from above to create intricate, lifelike movements.

With his earnings from puppetry no longer enough to support his family, Thuwunna Aung has turned to buying and selling motorcycles on the side. His wife also opened a snack shop to help make ends meet.

His struggle reflects the challenges facing communities across Bagan, where years of political turmoil and conflict have devastated an industry that many residents depend on for their livelihoods.

TOURISM NUMBERS DOWN Home to more than 3,500 ancient monuments, the medieval city was once among Myanmar's most popular tourist destinations, drawing visitors from around the world to its centuries-old Buddhist temples and pagodas.

Bagan’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 was expected to usher in a new era of tourism growth that would bring economic opportunities to surrounding communities. But those hopes were short-lived.

Local and foreign tourists visit the ancient temples of old Bagan, Nyaung U district, central Myanmar, Oct 30, 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought international travel to a standstill in 2020, while Myanmar's military coup in February 2021 and the ensuing armed conflict dealt another blow to the country's tourism industry.

Foreign tourist arrivals to Bagan plunged from more than 400,000 in 2019 to around 15,000 in 2023.

Myanmar’s military authorities are trying to revive tourism across the nation through promotional campaigns, easing visa requirements and other efforts to attract visitors from countries including China, India and Russia.

They have also pursued closer tourism ties with Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia, while promoting domestic travel through tour packages and other initiatives.

Nationwide, Myanmar welcomed about 973,000 international visitors in 2025, according to official figures reported by Bloomberg.

Authorities are targeting 1.8 million foreign arrivals this year, but even if Myanmar meets its goal, visitor numbers would still be far below pre-pandemic levels.

RELATIVE CALM AMID CONFLICT While Bagan itself has largely been spared the violence that has engulfed other parts of Myanmar, fighting in surrounding areas remains a reminder of the country’s fragile security situation.

“Bagan itself is peaceful. Politically, it's stable here because Bagan is an ancient zone, so nothing has happened here till this day,” said a local horsecart operator. “People from other places even come to seek refuge in Bagan.”But the conflict is never far away.

According to independent conflict monitoring group ACLED, hundreds of Myanmar military personnel swept through a township just across the Ayeyarwady River from Bagan in May, in an operation that reportedly left at least 40 people dead.

In July, a group of domestic tourists was reportedly detained by soldiers and militia around 50km from Bagan.

For those whose livelihoods require them to travel around Bagan, including Thuwunna Aung, caution has become part of daily life.

“When I have to go out to perform, I carry my puppets and an official membership card to prove that I belong to the (Saing) traditional music group. I feel safe here, but of course, I also make sure to stay safe,” the puppeteer said.

ECONOMY STRUGGLING TO RECOVER For Bagan's residents, the prolonged absence of foreign tourists has been particularly difficult to overcome.

Unlike Myanmar's commercial centres of Yangon and Mandalay, Bagan has relatively few alternative industries for people to turn to when tourism slows.

“The population here is very small. Bagan doesn’t have other industries (and) people can’t easily turn to other businesses to survive. Since we mainly depend on pilgrims and tourists to earn a living, the lack of visitors has caused huge losses,” a hospitality worker told CNA. Horsecarts, long a fixture of sightseeing tours around Bagan, stand idle as operators wait for customers.

The downturn has also hit horsecart operators, whose services have long been part of the sightseeing experience around Bagan's temples and pagodas.

“Since foreigners don't come anymore, all our horse carts have to rely solely on domestic visitors. But they don't spend as much as foreigners do. On top of that, there are so few visitors, making it very difficult to earn a living,” said one operator.

Still, the ancient city's religious significance continues to draw Myanmar pilgrims seeking spiritual comfort.

“You can’t expect people to be mired in suffering and woe without having access to spiritual outlets or seeking mental peace. Maybe the local pilgrimages are part of that,” said Moe Thuzar, a senior fellow and coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Programme at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Monks walk past a pagoda in Bagan.

CRAFTS AT RISK OF FADING AWAY The prolonged slump is also raising concerns about the future of Bagan's traditional arts and crafts that have long been part of the region’s cultural identity. Many such small businesses rely heavily on spending by foreign visitors. Among them is lacquerware, a craft for which Bagan has long been renowned.

The intricate process involves applying layers of lacquer to objects, often made from bamboo or wood, before decorating them with elaborate patterns and designs.

Mastering the craft can take years, raising concerns about how such skills will be passed down if experienced artisans leave the industry.

“Since it's an art form, you need genuine passion to learn it,” lacquerware artist Ko Kyaw Thu told CNA.

“Those who want to learn stylus etching need at least two years of dedicated training at a master's house, drawing designs on paper with a pen before moving on to using the stylus on lacquerware.”A lacquerware artisan at work in Bagan.

But finding people willing to learn is only part of the challenge. Rising raw material costs and weak demand have made it increasingly difficult for artisans to earn a sustainable income.

Ko Kyaw Thu said European visitors, particularly those from France, Germany, Spain and Italy, have traditionally been among his most reliable customers. But governments in several of these countries continue to advise against travel to Myanmar because of the armed conflict and security risks.

Without a viable market for their products, artisans fear that younger generations may have little incentive to take up these traditional skills.

Sand painter Ko Myo Zaw has already seen fellow artists abandon their craft in search of more reliable income.

“People in this line of work have shifted to whatever pays cash – tour guiding or manual labour,” he said.

“Since they can't make a living from this craft, gradually no one is left to do it. With no one doing it, it's almost disappearing.”A sand painting artist at work in his studio in Bagan. The traditional art form layers sand onto cotton cloth before being painted over.

KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE For Thuwunna Aung, the struggle to preserve Bagan's cultural heritage is deeply personal.

He continues to perform at Nanda, a restaurant in the Nyaung-U area known for its traditional puppet shows. He also performs with Mandalay puppet theatre troupes when they are hired for local pagoda festivals. He believes there is still an audience for the centuries-old art form.

“Some guests come to Nanda specifically because they want to watch this puppet show. They’d ask if there's a show before deciding to dine here,” he said.

Thuwunna Aung has also turned to social media to reach younger audiences, recording his performances and sharing videos on platforms such as TikTok. Thuwunna Aung performs with a puppet.

“Many children today have never seen or heard of traditional puppetry. So, whenever I perform, I record and post videos on social media to spark interest among young people,” he said.

His efforts appear to be attracting interest among children in his neighbourhood, some of whom now ask to accompany him to performances.

HOPE FOR BETTER DAYS AHEAD Reviving tourism in Bagan could provide a much-needed economic lifeline for communities and businesses struggling after years of political and economic turmoil.

But a sustained revival remains closely tied to the wider situation in Myanmar, where ongoing conflict continues to undermine confidence among international travellers. Even so, some visitors believe a recovery is possible.

A tourist from Colombia pointed to his country's experience as an example of how tourism can grow despite a troubled past.

“Coming from a country that has been at war for a long time, but we have tourism. (Our) tourism is increasing and the economy is growing. I would say that it's challenging, but it's possible,” he told CNA while on holiday in Bagan.

For Thuwunna Aung, that hope is about more than recovering the income he once earned from performing. It is also about ensuring that the craft he inherited from his father can be passed on to another generation.

“I want to make traditional puppetry thrive even more here in Bagan,” he said. “I have faith in this craft.”