Myanmar extends issuing visa-on-arrival at two more airports

Myanmar authorities will extend issuing visa-on-arrival at Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay International Airports in addition to the Yangon International Airport, local media reported Tuesday.

Aimed at facilitating foreigners to enter the country smoothly for investment and tourism purposes, the visa-on-arrival has since June 1 been issued to visitors from 31 countries including member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, Britain, China, China's Hong Kong and Taiwan, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

Business visa is allowed for 70 days by paying 50 US dollars, while tourist visa for 28 days with 40 dollars and transit visa for 24 hours with 20 dollars.

Visa-on-arrival was once halted in September 2010 ahead of the Myanmar's general election in November of the year.

According to official statistics, the number of tourists arrival at Myanmar's Yangon International Airport alone reached 359,359 in 2011 which is expected to reach 1.5 million in 2012.

Statistics of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism show that such arrival at all entry points exceeded 800,000 in 2011, up more than 24,000 or 3 percent from 2010.

There is a total of 739 hotels in Myanmar including 22 foreign invested hotels, four joint-venture hotels, six government hotels and 707 private-owned ones.

Myanmar earned 319 million dollars in 2011 from the hotel and tourism sector, up 26 percent from 254 million dollars in 2010.

Sourced: globaltimes