Myanmar allows foreign tourists to visit far northern towns in Kachin state

Myanmar authorities have allowed foreign tourists to visit major far northern towns in the northernmost Kachin state without special permission, official media said on Wednesday.

Previously, special permission is needed to visit the five far northern towns of Myitgyina, Mohnyin, Mogaung, Bhamo and Shwegu.

However, permission is still required for sightseeing in other towns in the far northern part of the state as far as foreigners are concerned, the report said.

For local visitors, permission is granted to travel freely to Myithson, where Myanmar's Ayeyawaddy River originates, the snow- capped mountains in Putao, the Hukaung Tiger Sanctuary in Tanai, Lido Road built in World War II and Indawgyi Lake in Mohnyin, the report added.

Myanmar received 3.05 million tourists in 2014, up 49.5 percent from 2013.

The country targets to attract 5 million of foreign tourists in 2015 and 7.5 million in 2020.

The tourism industry accounted for 4.2 percent of the overall gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. It created about 6.5 percent of the total job opportunities.

Statistics also show that foreign investment in the hotels and tourist sector reached 2.157 billion U.S. dollars as of February 2015 after the country opened its door to the world in late 1988. Endi