Does the US have any travel bans to Burma? (For that matter, any at all besides whatever restriction there is on Cuba?)
Do human rights groups and activists in Burma discourage travel there for political reasons?
I don’t believe there’s any ban. They don’t make the State Department’s list of travel warnings link
The most current consular information sheet for Burma is here
The US government does not ban travel to Burma, but the State Department has a skull and crossbones of a warning about the place, including the facts that your AMEX is banned there (along with all non-cash financial instruments) and you pretty much can’t bring anything out, including souvenirs.
er, what **Manhattan ** said
CapnPitt is teh 5uxx0r. 
Looking at the Consular Infomation Sheet for Burma, there’s no indication that U.S. citizens can’t travel to burma, but they are warned that:
The other thing to know if you wanted to go there is that:
I don’t know of restrictions to travel of U.S. citizens to any country other than Cuba, and I don’t know about the position on human rights groups on travel to Burma/Myanmar.
According to my passport (probably a little bit out of date now in terms of the text, as it was issued in 1999) as of 1993 travel to Cuba, Libya, or Iraq is prohibited. Purchasing Cuban, North Korean, Vietnamese, Libyan, Iraqi, or Yugoslavian (Serbian and Montenegrin) goods and services is also prohibited. I honestly expected North Korea to be on the travel ban list, and perhaps Iran as well. Then again, I’m not sure why anyone would want to go to any of the listed countries to begin with, except for Cuba.
There’s a divergence of opinion among human rights/pro-democracy groups about traveling to Burma. Some maintain that a certain portion of all tourist dollars inevitably ends up in the hands of the regime, thereby supporting them. Others maintain that the people of Burma benefit from the influx of tourist money, lousy regime notwithstanding. Both sides are correct, of course, so there’s no simple answer to the question.
Regarding the dire warnings in the State Department circular: the State Department warnings, if taken at face value, would inspire you never to leave your own bedroom, to say nothing of traveling overseas. These circulars make it sound as if, in many countries, you stand a 50/50 chance of being robbed and pistol-whipped, kidnapped, or at least relieved of your camera. They’re obliged to report all bad things that have ever happened to U.S. citizens in these countries, but the vast majority of these places are quite a bit safer than mid-town Manhattan. (I make no judgment about one’s safety when in close proximity to manhattan, however. )
I don’t believe the Burmese government is randomly arresting and/or detaining tourists. They will, like any dictatorial regime, go after anyone who is there not as an “oh, my, look at the temples” tourist, but is, instead, there to make contact with the pro-democracy forces, to distribute literature, etc. Handing out Bible tracts in Vietnam can get you in trouble, too, yet thousands upon thousands of tourists go there every year, and have a wonderful time (I just got back).
The Treasury Department restrictions, on the other hand, are of a more serious nature, and might give me pause about traveling there. At the very least, they indicate that the U.S. Government would prefer that U.S. citizens not have anything to do with Burma in its current state. Still, any number of travel companies offer regular tours to Burma, like this one.
My passport, issued in late 1999, contains no restrictions whatsoever, so they must have changed the format sometime during that year. I’m quite sure the list of countries to which one is not allowed to travel, without special permission, has changed (I believe it’s currently just Cuba and Iraq - Libya was taken off the list a year ago), as has the list of countries with whom trade is restricted. The current trade restrictions involve, in varying degrees, the Balkans, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Zimbabwe. Read all about it here. In some cases, the restrictions involve only exporting certain goods to those countries, so you need to read each of the write-ups for the details.
Vietnam is quite the tourist attraction nowdays- beautiful beaches, great food, interesting history…there is even an industry catering to Americans that want to war tunnels and the like. Everyone I know thats been there has loved it.
I can’t vouch for Libya, Iraq or the former Yugslavia, but I’d give my left arm to visit North Korea, just to take a look around one of the wierdest places on Earth.
I traveled there not that long ago and had no problem with our government (U.S.). There are (were) some visa restrictions on the part of the host country though, including length of stay, where you are supposed to stay, exchange of money and the like. In addition, you cannot enter the country overland.
I will also say that if you like comfort, you will not enjoy the country. It is not a country that is tourist friendly.
When I was there, I was walking back to my hotel in Rangoon and the woman I was traveling with noted how romantic the leaves blowing across the street was a little ahead of us with the full moon shining down and the old crumbling white British style buildings outlining the whole tableau.
I then noticed that there was no wind. What we thought was a large pile of leaves blowing across the street was a huge pack of rats going from point “A” to point “B”.