Myanmar sees one million tourist arrivals in tour season

Myanmar sees one million tourist arrivals in the tour season of 2006-07 which began this month and lasts until next May, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism Monday.

The latest figures released by the ministry show that foreign individual travelers visiting Myanmar account for 64 percent, while package travelers 22 percent and the rest go to those taking one-day trip on business.

According to the statistics, tourist arrivals in Myanmar have increased annually in the past five years with 660,206 in the fiscal year of 2005-06 which ended in March, up from 656,000 in 2004-05, 590,000 in 2003-04 and about 470,000 in 2002-03 and 2001- 02 respectively.

Of the tourists traveling to Myanmar in 2005-06, cross-border ones accounted for the majority with 427,980, while 227,300 entered through Yangon check point and 4,918 through Mandalay and Bagan's.

The fiscal year's tourist arrivals have hit a record high in the past five years, registering an earning through tourism during the year at over 150 million U.S. dollars, up from only 17 million dollars in the previous year.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is planning some tourism festivals in the tour season in a bid to attract more tourists worldwide to the country with assurance of security for the visitors, local reports said.

The ministry has urged private tour operators to cooperate with the government in the plan, saying that assistance will be rendered to them in the implementation as well as to win international links with regard to the sector.

The ministry figures also indicate that there are 596 hotels, motels and guest houses in Myanmar providing a total of over 18, 500 rooms. The number of travel agencies in operation stands at over 500.

Contracted foreign investment in the sector of hotels and tourism has so far amounted to 1.06 billion dollars since Myanmar started to open to such investment in late 1988. Investment in hotel projects amounted to over 580 million dollars.

Source: Xinhua