Good 2010 for Myanmar

MYANMAR tourism rebounded in 2010 after three consecutive lacklustre years, with Myanmar Marketing Committee vice chairman Phyoe Wai Yar Zar describing the year as an “eventful” one for the local tourism industry.

The country recorded 295,174 foreign visitor arrivals for the year, up 29.8 per cent over 2009.

Phyoe said the brief introduction of a visa-on-arrival facility between May and August resulted in a 30 per cent increase in visitor arrivals during the three-month period alone.

“The visa-on-arrival facility would definitely help the development of tourism if we could continue to apply it,” he said.

A Yangon hotelier agreed that 2010 had been productive. “Tourism was boosted due to the many business travellers from the region. Even Yangon was facing a shortage of rooms.”

“I am sure that 2011 will be much better than 2010,” the hotelier added. “We are expecting more foreign independent travellers, business travellers and leisure travellers from Europe, the US, Australia and Scandinavia.”

According to Phyoe, all tourism-related associations, in collaboration with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, are working together to draft an effective marketing plan for 2011, with increased engagement at international trade fairs and forums on the agenda.

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