MORE than 250,000 domestic and international tourists visited the Bagan ancient cultural region during the international New Year holiday period, according to the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism (Bagan branch).
From 1 to 4 January, during the four-day New Year public holiday, visitors travelled to prominent pagodas, stupas and temples across the Bagan Cultural Zone, as well as the Ayeyawady riverbanks near Buu Pagoda and Lawkananda Pagoda. Tourists also visited villages producing traditional handicrafts and local products.
“During the four-day international New Year holiday, we recorded more than 250,000 domestic and international visitors to Bagan. As tourist numbers increased compared to last New Year, tourism-related businesses and residents benefited,” said Deputy Director U Win Aung from the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism (Bagan branch).
The holiday coincided with the school break, enabling students, families, company staff, factory and workshop workers, government employees and the general public to travel to the ancient cultural region using various modes of transport. International tourists also visited Bagan, leading to full occupancy at hotels and guesthouses. Due to favourable cool winter weather, travel conditions were more comfortable than last year, encouraging many visitors to choose two-day to three-day and four-day travel programmes.
The steady influx of tourists during the New Year period boosted local livelihoods, including the sale of regional products, handicrafts and food, as well as services such as horse carts, electric bicycles, electric motorbikes, rental vehicles and other tourism-related businesses.
Domestic and international visitors most frequently toured 18 prominent pagodas and stupas in the Bagan Cultural Zone. The area is home to more than 3,000 pagodas and temples, with over 400 ancient religious sites of particular interest clustered within a single zone. These include monuments from 55 successive Bagan dynasties, as well as later-period heritage from the Pinya, Inwa, Nyaungyan and Konbaung eras, which continue to attract strong interest from international tourists. As a result, Bagan remained lively with visitors throughout the New Year period, according to officials. — Thitsa (MNA)/KZL
