Myanmar tourism looks bright

YANGON Myanmar’s Department of Hotels and Tourism reports 1.69 million foreign visitors entered the country during the first six months of the year.

Global New Light of Myanmar quoted the ministry saying the tourism industry gained 4% in tourist arrivals compared with the same period last year.

The majority of tourists came from Thailand, followed by China and Japan.  

Travel companies expect more tourists to visit this year from Europe and eventually China will exceed Thailand in trip volume possibly within five years.

Currently, 70% of tourists are sourced from Thailand, Singapore, China, South Korea and Japan, while tourists from Europe account for 30%, the report said.

The country welcomed over 4.6 million foreign visitors, last year, an increase of 52% compared with 2014. The ministry estimates that the number will increase to 5.5 million this year.

The ministry estimates that international tourist arrivals in the country are likely to reach 7.5 million by 2019.