Tourist arrivals increase nearly 11 pc

Tourist arrivals increase nearly 11 pc
Published 10 February 2019

From April, 2018 to January, 2019, the number of foreigners who entered the country with tourist and business visas reached over 680,000, a 10.92-per-cent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

In 2018, the country saw over 3.55 million tourist arrivals, a 3.15-per-cent increase compared to those in 2017, according to the ministry.

Over the years, the country sees a decline in the number of tourists from the EU and north America countries due to the political situations. But the number of visitors from China, Korea, Thailand and some Asian countries has increased.

In late January, the number of tourist arrivals hit 111,814. From April, 2017 to January, 2018, the country received 423,040 foreigners with tourist visa and 200,281 foreigners with business visa.

In 2018, China topped the list of tourists with 297,400, followed by Thailand with 291,231, Japan with 104,376, US with 65,057, Korea with 63,911, Singapore with 58,657, Vietnam with 53,329, Malaysia with 47,632, India with 43,281, France with 43,218 and the UK with 46,609.

Of 14 regions and states, Yangon, Mandalay and Shan receive the highest number of tourist arrivals. Myanmar received 4.6 million in 2015, 2.91 million in 2016, 3.44 million in 2017 and 3.55 million in 2018, according to the ministry.