Tourism sector likely to grow in 2019: Union Minister U Ohn Maung

WITH tourist arrivals increasing by more than 23 per cent in the first two months of 2019 compared to a year ago, the tourism sector is expected to grow this year, according to the Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Ohn Maung.

The number of tourists increased by 3.15 per cent in the third year, compared to the same period of the previous years.

Most of the tourists arriving in Myanmar this year are from China, according to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, and Population. The number of tourists from Europe is on the decline.

This year, the number of tourists coming to Myanmar on board ocean liners has declined by 15 per cent, while tourist arrivals through border gates have increased by 144 per cent, according to statistics from the Ministry. Between January and March this year, the number of tourists visiting Myanmar jumped to 1,136,615 from 928,453 tourists in the same period of 2018, an increase of 208,162. Tourists are visiting Myanmar for different reasons – some are coming here to make investments and conduct business, while others are visiting the country to observe its culture, see archaeological sites, rest at the famous beaches, and indulge in trekking and camping.

This year, the number of tourist arrivals reached 111,814 in January, 124,094 in February, and 119,625 in March.

Although the number of European and North American tourists has dropped this year because of the political situation in the country, tourist arrivals from China, Korea, Japan, and Asian countries have increased significantly.

This year, most of the tourists have come from China, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, the US, France, Singapore, Viet Nam, India, and Malaysia. They have mostly visited Yangon and Mandalay regions as well as Shan State.

Myanmar received 4.6 million tourists in 2015, 2.91 million in 2016, 3.44 million in 2017, and 3.55 million in 2018.

Aye Cho

(Translated by Hay Mar)

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar