AFTER the Mandalay earth­quake, visitor arrival to Ngwe­saung Beach has been low, ac­cording to residents and visitors.

Hotel rooms were booked for Thingyan since March but some were resold and cancelled, said a resident.

“It may be related to the quake. The beach has yet to be crowded. People postponed their bookings and some resold. It seems the visitor arrival won’t be large this year. Some visitors won’t come. Rooms are still available. There are just a few visitors for now at the beach,” said a travel planner.

Over previous years, even in early April before the Thingyan Festival, the two local famous beaches – Chaungtha and Ngwe­hsaung were thronged with vis­itors including family vacations and company trips, he said.

Similarly, there are still vis­itors in Bagan after the quake struck, according to residents.

Except for Mandalay and Sagaing, travelling is still possi­ble in other cities based on recent travel information, so travel oper­ators can arrange tours smoothly, the Domestic Pilgrimage and Tour Operators Association announced on 1 April. — MT/ZS