Groups of tourists pose before the Marina Bay skyline in Singapore
OUTBOUND tour operators in Myanmar are planning to add more Singapore packages in anticipation of increased traffic to the city-state after visa exemption is established between the two nations earlier this month.
The 30-day visa-free travel agreement will take effect from December 1.
Lynn Zaw Wai Mang, managing director of Unique Asia Ticketing and Tour said more people from Myanmar are heading to Singapore for their vacations and numbers are expected to soar when visa exemption kicks in. “I estimate visitation to Singapore will grow about 40 per cent from now,” he said.
Sai Khan Hlaing, founder of Air Tour Myanmar, also estimates a similar growth trajectory. He said: “There is no doubt that more Myanmarese will be travelling to Singapore and I’m sure the number will increase by more than 40 per cent.”
According to Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Myanmar Airways International (MAI), plans are also in place to raise the number of flights to Singapore from Yangon and Mandalay. Current airlines flying the Yangon-Singapore route include SIA, SilkAir, Jetstar, MAI, Myanmar National Airlines and AirAsia.
Singapore is the most recent ASEAN country to establish an open visa relationship with Myanmar. Meanwhile, Malaysia is the only remaining South-east Asian nation without an open visa pact with Myanmar.
