VISITORS flocked to the Bagan cultural zone during the Thadingyut open season and the Tazaungdine Festival. Hotels were booked in advance, and visitors thronged Bagan from 1 November until the full moon day of Tazaungmone. According to residents, if the weather is fine, the number of visitors will increase to the point where hotels, guesthouses, and monasteries are full.
“Even though it rained on the full moon day, visitors still flocked to Bagan. Hotels were packed with pre-booked tourists and pilgrims. If the weather had been good, there would have been even more travellers. The steady influx of visitors before the Tazaungmone full moon day made the pagodas crowded. It was heartening to see so many travellers continuously arriving in the Bagan cultural area. During the open tourism season, we invite everyone to visit the Bagan region, which is home to ancient cultural heritage, and to make merit,” said Daw San San Myint, Assistant Director of the Department of Hotels and Tourism (Bagan Branch).
In addition to domestic travellers, international tourists also visited the Bagan cultural zone. Many offered oil lamps at 18 famous pagodas and performed acts of merit on the full moon day of Tazaungmone.
“Today, there are many pilgrims. If it doesn’t rain, there will be even more. Nearly 8,000 tourists visited Htilominlo Pagoda during the Tazaungdine holidays, and almost 10,000 people visited on the full moon day. This is more than last year. Bagan is a place where Myanmar’s cultural heritage is concentrated, so seeing Bagan really makes one love our country and respect our religion. That’s why Bagan warmly welcomes all domestic and international visitors,” said U Tin Oo, Secretary of the Htilominlo Pagoda Trustees.
Recently, Myanmar has experienced heavy rain and strong winds due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and a typhoon over the Philippine Sea, yet the Bagan region remained crowded with visitors performing good deeds during the religious festival. — Thitsa (MNA)/MKKS
