Myanmar may be one of the poorest and least developed countries in Southeast Asia, but it has quickly become a sought after tourism destination -- especially since everyone is curious to find out firsthand what the formerly closed-off nation looks like. With the government pledging $500 million to develop tourism in the next few years, Myanmar could very well become the next traveling hot spot.
Don’t let Myanmar’s poverty fool you. It is actually rich in natural resources and quite...
Myanmar will on Wednesday turn four border checkpoints with Thailand into gateways for international visitors, immigration officials said Tuesday.
Starting 8 a.m. Wednesday, any foreign national holding a valid passport with a valid entry visa issued by Myanmar will be allowed to enter and exit the country through the border checkpoints at Tachileik-Mae Sai, Myawady-Mae Sot, Kawthoung-Ranong and Htee Khee-Punaron, they said.
Currently, for foreign nationals entering via those checkpoints,...
Myanmar and Brazil have reached an agreement on technical cooperation, signifying a major step taken to boost bilateral cooperation in the sector, the official media New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.
The agreement was signed by Myanmar's Ministry of Science and Technology Ko Ko Oo and Brazilian Ambassador Jose Carlos in Nay Pyi Taw Tuesday.
Ko Ko Oo said the signing would further cement the friendly ties between the two peoples, vowing to effectively implement the agreement which...
Myanmar has left its olden days. With sanctions are being lifted, the Myanmar currency ‘Kyat’ going up to 818 for one US dollar along with the recent opening to the hitherto hermetic country is showing great potential to become the next hot spot in the book of travel.
With investors flying in, local people will get an easier environment for business. Also moral reservations harbored in the minds of international visitors will soon dissipate.
Last few months, Myanmar’s name has...
In this land of many wonders , even attentive travellers risk missing unique opportunities. Or at least so it was with us during a tour by boat of Inle Lake, where villages, religious sites and workshops rise from the water amid floating gardens of flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Since just after dawn, we three friends had marvelled at the natural beauty of the lake and its distant cloud-covered mountains.
We'd analyzed the one-leg rowing technique used by fishermen and the friendly...
Tourism industry stakeholders say awareness is key if Burma is to handle an expected influx of tourists—and the environmental and social impacts that they will bring—in a way that preserves the country’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
According to data compiled by Burma’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the number of tourists entering the country has risen from over 800,000 in 2011 to more than 900,000 last year. The ministry hopes to draw one million travelers to the country...
Menafn - Bangkok Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --More international hotel chains are being attracted to Myanmar, where hotel rooms are in short supply but demand is brisk.
Glenn De Souza, the vice-president for international operations in Asia and the Middle East for the US hotel brand Best Western, said Myanmar still needs international-standard hotels and standardised hospitality services.
With Myanmar opening up to the world, its tourism is flourishing, but...
Private airlines are proliferating in Myanmar, hoping to capitalise on a tourist and business travel boom, and demand from upcoming international events such as the SEA Games in December and Asean meetings next year.
Besides national carrier Myanmar Airways International , there are seven local airlines, and just last week four new ones were given permission to start operations, Myanmar’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said over the weekend.
But there will be no place to park...
MYANMAR - The ministry has estimated around 2 million foreign travelers will visit Myanmar. In addition, Myanmar will host the 27th SEA Games at the end of this year and so tourist arrivals will increase more than ever.
The Myanmar News Agency reports:
“We were not able to judge hotels’ standard this year. But, we have a plan for upgrading them this month. We are going to inspect the hotels together with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. We are going to do this work dividing into...
American companies are looking to invest in Myanmar's hotel industry after representatives from Brownstone Furniture met with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism on Wednesday.
Former US Congressmen Mr. Jim Webb and Mr. Christopher Kingsley from Brownstone Furniture met with Minister of Hotel and Tourism Htay Aung to discuss possible hotel projects in Bagan, Yangon and Pyin Oo Lwin.
Nearly 1.06 million tourists visited Myanmar last year and the figure increased by about 30 percent from 2011....
THE number of international standard rooms in Yangon is set to soar within the next four years as brand-name hotel groups enter the as-yet untapped Myanmar market, predicts Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Hotel Group in its recent Myanmar Hotel and Tourism Report: Spotlight on Yangon publication.
While Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels & Tourism counted 9,110 hotel rooms in the city, JLL estimated that only 1,500-2,000 were of international standard due to previous economic sanctions that kept...
The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism announced that American businessmen have offered to invest in the hotel sector as privately owned enterprises or joint ventures with Myanmar partners.
The announcement was made after Senator Jim Webb, Christopher Kingsley from Brownstone Furniture and special delegates met with U Htay Aung, Minister of Hotels and Tourism.
The Americans have expressed interest to invest in Yangon, Pyin Oo Lwin and Bagan, to accommodate the growing number of visitors to...
RANGOON — With the winning bids for Burma’s three major new airport projects due to be announced by the end of this month, officials say the contracts are necessary, given that the government hopes to draw over 7 million tourists to the country by 2020.
The existing international airports for Rangoon and Mandalay will be upgraded, while a new international airport—expected to rival other major Southeast Asian hubs such as Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Singapore’s Changi in size—will...
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism officials say Myanmar tourists are making more trips to neighbouring countries and Asia, than ever before.
According to local news report, the ministry’s director general, Aung Zaw Win, said the number of Myanmar nationals travelling overseas has now reached over 380,000 a year.
“In 2011, around 900 travelled abroad daily. And in 2012, the daily number reached about 1,000. Now, it averages around 380,000 annually.”
The number has increased...
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information says the country will allow visitors to cross the border at Tachilek, Myawady and Kawthaung from points in Thailand without having to return through the same checkpoint.
No firm details are available on the introduction dates but officials said it would be active before the end of the year.
According to local media report, it will encourage more foreign visitors to use land checkpoints by allowing them the freedom to enter and exit at different...
Japan and Myanmar will cooperate to build cultural links and support the growth of tourism between the two countries.
According to local news report, Culture Minister U Aye Myint Kyu said cultural heritage plays an important role in promoting tourism between the two countries.
“Currently, only 10,000 Japanese travellers visit Myanmar, but it could grow to as many as a million in the future,” he said.
Myanmar and Japan are cooperating in culture, with Japanese culture shows visiting...
Myanmar’s tourism is on a roller coaster, accelerating in response to two years of government reforms according to Hotels and Tourism Minister, Htay Aung.
Talking to local media, earlier this week, he said Myanmar’s tourism sector was opening up to foreign investment and competition, but the challenge was to manage and develop infrastructure to maintain momentum.
Foreign tourists should reach 1.8 million by the end of the year with longer holiday stays, he explained.
“Tourism in...
The United Nations is being forced out of billionaire Robert Kuok’s Traders Hotel in Yangon next month amid a tourism boom in Myanmar after housing various offices in five floors of the property since 2007.
The UN signed its last lease for the hotel owned by Kuok’s Shangri-La Asia Ltd. in August 2012 for a final year, said Aye Win, a Yangon-based spokesman for the agency. A 10th of its 2,000 employees in the country are still in the hotel, he said.
“Prices for hotel rooms are...
Burma’s tourism sector saw the highest relative growth in Southeast Asia, with the number of foreign arrivals spiking 52 percent last year, according to a report by the UN World Tourism Organization. Despite the surging growth, Burma remains one of the region’s least-visited countries, attracting just over 1 million visitors in 2012. Southeast Asia’s tourism growth topped all Asian subregions, with arrivals rising 9 percent in 2012. Asia and the Pacific region as a whole received 234...
Local entrepreneurs have invested over US$ 7 billion in Myanmar’s hotels and tourism sector, according to the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration.
The total investment volume of local entrepreneurs in hotel and tourism sector was over US$ 175 billion as of June 10 this year and the current volume has reached over US$ 183 billion on July 1. So far, over US$7 billion has been invested in Myanmar within 20 days.
Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has granted permission...
It is now quite easy to make international direct phone calls and to send faxes, email to worldwide. Internet access is available in most tourist destinations in Myanmar.
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