U Hla Myint, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, said that the number of local and foreign tourists had increased in 2023 and was expected to rise further. As of November 2023, there were 8.85 million domestic travellers and over one million foreign tourists. “Foreign tourist arrivals in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 are 0.9 million, over 0.1 million, over 0.2 million and over one million, respectively. Most tourists come from China and Thailand. Many Thais visited Myanmar for pilgrimage.
We can say that the prospect looks better. The number of domestic tourists reached 8.85 million by November 2023. That number is larger now. We expect more to travel in 2024,” he said. For tourism sector development, Union-level responsible persons visited the destination areas and met operators and respective regional governments to promote tourism while communicating with private organizations to develop the foreign tourism industry, said U Hla Myint. “The ministry alone cannot do for tourism development. We need the cooperation from various departments. Myanmar Travel Association and Myanmar Hoteliers Association, including the Myanmar Tourism Federation, must also participate in the cooperation. The private sector especially needs to make more effort. From the government’s side, we are making efforts for coordination, relaxation, and measures for easy visa. We need to continue our efforts to maintain the momentum,” he said. — MT/ZN
