Roundup: Myanmar sees good prospects for tourism industry in 2016

Myanmar is seeing good prospects in tourism industry in 2016, with increasing number of tourists to be expected during the year.

Tourists arrivals, as of the end of November last year, reached more than 4.2 million. The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism estimates that the number will rise to 5 million by April 2016.

Myanmar attracted 2.64 billion U.S.dollars' foreign investment in 47 projects in the sector of hotels and tourism in 2015, up 1.5 billion dollars from 2011's 1.14 billion dollars in 36 projects.

Of the total foreign investment in the sector in 2015, Singapore accounted for 1.47 billion dollars, the highest among all countries and regions, followed by Vietnam with 440 million dollars.

The tourism sector development in Myanmar in 2016 depends on the progress of the related investment in the previous year as well as the global and ASEAN economy.

According to the ministry's master plan (2013-2020), tourist arrivals are estimated to hit 7.49 million in 2020.

Tourists from neighboring countries frequently visit Myanmar on motorbikes, bicycles and boats under the arrangements by tour companies in cooperation with the ministry.

Rising number of foreign tourists are seen as river cruise ships arrive in the country in the tourism season which used to start in the beginning of a year.

The cruise liner MS Seven Sea Voyage which is carrying 699 visitors and 447 crew will be arriving in Myanmar on a three-day visit until Jan. 25.

More cruise ships with more visitors are also set to dock in Myanmar in January and February.

According to official statistics, Myanmar welcomed 25 luxury cruise ships carrying 26,000 visitors last year.

Moreover, the foreign tourists are signing up for Chindwin river cruises, which offers views of Myanmar natural landscape and encounters with ethnic minority communities and their cultures.

The number of tourism companies increased to 1,922 now from 1,670 in 2014. Of them, 1,822 are local citizens-owned.

Myanmar's hotels are also sprouting up across the nation to give adequate accommodation to the increasing number of tourists, according to the Myanmar Hoteliers Association.

A total of 340 hotels are operating across the nation in 2015, compared with 290 in 2014, according to U Tin Win, chairman of the Myanmar Hoteliers Association.

Meanwhile, the government has established 17 hotel zones in such areas as Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Bago regions.

Tourist arrival through Yangon International Airport recorded 759,181 in the first nine months (January to September) of 2015, up 82,174 from 677,007 tourists in the same period of last year.

More than 800,000 tourists entered Myanmar by air, ship while more than 2.2 million tourists visited the country through border entrances and tourist arrival is highest in the Yangon, Mandalay, Inlay and Bagan hotel zones.

The number of tourists arrival to Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar, reached 306,432 in 2015, up 26 percent from 242,566 in 2014.

Mandalay which is the last royal capital of Myanmar has a population of just over 1.2 million, according to the latest census.

Majority of foreign tourists come from China, Thailand, France, Germany and the United States.

At present, eight domestic airlines and five international airlines are operating services in Mandalay and the plans are underway to expand the international flights and airline access to Mandalay..

Under the new system, there are 12 types of entry visa and three types of re-entry visa available for foreign travelers to facilitate their visit to Myanmar.

Visas-on-arrival are also available at three Myanmar international airports -- Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw for business, workshop, crew and transit purposes. Endit