28 Feb

Myanmar received more than 400,000 tourists in the month of January. Although tourist arrivals increased by 7 per cent compared with the year-ago period, the number of tourists from China, South Korea, and Singapore declined significantly because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population.

In January, a total of 183,416 tourists arrived in Myanmar via the international airport, 671 tourists came to the country via cruise liners, and 19,958 tourists entered via the border checkpoints on a visa. In addition, 204,137 tourists entered Myanmar via the border controls using border passes. The number of tourists visiting Myanmar totaled 408,182 in the month of January, an increase of 28,010, or 7 per cent, compared with the same period of last year. The number of tourist arrivals stood at 380,172 in January, 2019.

The number of tourists visiting Myanmar from the West and European countries has fallen of late because of the political situation in the country. However, the number of tourist arrivals from Japan, China, South Korea, and other Asian countries has increased, though the number of Chinese, South Korean, and Singaporean tourists dropped significantly in January this year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Myanmar welcomed 4.6 million tourists in 2015, 2.91 million in 2016, 3.44 million in 2017, 3.55 million in 2018, and 4.4 million in 2019. —Aye Cho (Translated by Hay Mar)