CNI News

10 Nov 2022

Compared with previous months, tourist arrivals increased during the Tazaungdaing Festival, the Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association told the CNI.

The resurgence of tourist arrivals added new momentum for the struggling tourism industry, Chairman U Naung Naung Han of the MTEA told the CNI.

He said, “The arrivals of foreign tourists increased in early November for local destinations and package tours. However, they have not visited Myanmar en masse at present. Moreover, some tourists from Thailand and ASEAN countries have returned in small groups to Myanmar. It can be said that tour operations have revived a little. During the Thadingyut Festival in October, we had to provide services for domestic tourists alone as there were only a few foreign tourists. Now, there is a large number of domestic tourists while foreign tourist arrivals have resurged. Some tour companies were able to sell more package tours to foreign tourists. It is certain that foreign tourist arrivals have increased.”

 Tourists at Peik Chin Myaung in PyinOoLwin.

The majority of foreign tourist visiting Myanmar are not from western countries but from neighbouring countries, especially from Thailand.

Compared with the Thadingyut Festival, more foreign tourists visited Myanmar during the Tazaungdaing Festival while the number of domestic tourists rose.

Compared with previous months, the number of domestic tourists rose during the Tazaungdaing Festival in early November by only a few hundreds, Deputy Director U Sithu Kyaw of Shan State Directorate of Hotels and Tourism told the CNI.

He said, “Hotels were almost fully booked in Taunggyi and Kalaw in Shan State (South) as of September although the tour season usually starts in October. About 30,000 domestic tourists visited Taunggyi in September. The number of visitors to the town significantly rose to 53,000 in October. The trend has continued in November and hotels were fully booked due to the Tazaungdaing Festival. However, we still received low foreign tourist arrivals with about 300 foreign tourists. It is true that foreign tourist arrivals have increased by only a few hundreds.”

     PyinOoLwin Tazaungdaing Festival in progress on 6th November, 2022.

Tour operators have expected that more domestic and foreign tourists will travel in Myanmar during the Christmas and New Year holiday in December as the tragedy like what happened at the Kyaiktiyo in Thadingyut Festival in October did not take place during the Tazaungdaing Festival.

Very few people travelled with the arrangement tour agencies during previous months. Domestic tour activities resumed during the Thadingyut Festival and the Tazaungdaing Festival.

Tourism entrepreneurs hope that the industry, which suffered impacts of COVID-19, will recover soon if the trend continues.