Myanmar expected to receive more inbound tourists next year providing favouring security
106
Thawdar Eain/ Saw (NP News) - Dec 18
If travelling sites in Myanmar are safe, more foreign tourists are expected to arrive in January and February next year, U Naung Naung Han, vice chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, told NP News.
The number of foreign tourists entering Myanmar during this December holiday is usually lower than usual. “In December, the domestic destinations are in good condition. If domestic destinations have more safety, there will be more foreign visitors in January and February. We can expect if our country’s conditions are stable,” U Naung Naung Han said.
According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism statistics, the largest number of foreign tourists visiting Myanmar came from Thailand, followed by China, Korea, Japan, India, and Vietnam, with 898,971 foreign tourists visiting the country within the ten-month period.
“We expected there will be more travelers in December than November. The number of tourists was lower than we had expected. After that, some days in December earned full bookings at hotels. During Christmas and New Year in December, the tourism inbound can be massive,” he continued.
Regarding domestic travelers, there have also been domestic visitors to Tazaungdaing Festival in Taunggyi, southern Shan State since November. “As usual, beaches are crowded more than other destinations. In addition, Bagan is also surged and all hotels reportedly gained full with bookings for rooms. Again, there are also short trips to Kyaiktiyo and along to Hpa-an including Kalaw, Pintaya, and Inle Lake in Shan State during December,” he said.
The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism listed 14 priority destinations to visit during the traveling season in September 2023 in its travel advisory. This year, there have been difficulties in visiting some places due to regional instability and flood recovery efforts.