NGAPALI Beach, with its white sand and crystal-clear water, is a popular spot for vacations among beach lovers and the Cold Season Festival at Ngapali Beach has been planned to be held in the second or third week of November on a grand scale like last year’s event.
Creating jobs with sizable influx of visitors
On 14 November 2021, the first-ever Autumn Festival was held at Ngapali Beach and the visitors joyfully appreciated it. The airlines increased flight frequency for that destination. The home-grown visitors also increasingly arrived there by road transport. The hotels at Ngapali Beach were fully occupied and the beach was so crowded with visitors that some houses near the beach provided catering service to them. The highest number of visitors was recorded for the Thingyan Festival. After that, the visitors flocked to the beach during Thadingyut and Tazaungdaing festivals. The beach was packed with visitors from the Autumn Festival to Myanmar New Year Thingyan Festival. Therefore, Ngapali beach received a large number of visitors during the 2021 tourism season, allowing tourism-related businesses such as tour companies and hotels to thrive and creating jobs for the local community.
Grand scale opening ceremony
Last year, the Autumn Festival at Ngapali Beach was successfully held by the Rakhine State government and Directorate of Hotels and Tourism with musical performances and athletic events (beach volleyball, greasy pole contest, tug of war, sand art, mini-marathon and cycling event to mark the tourism season.
“I was so delighted to see the home-grown visitors enjoy the tourism season during the pandemic. This year, there is an interesting trip to Manaung Island beyond Ngapali Beach Resort. I welcome the local travellers going on vacation for peace and relaxation. The tourist arrivals at the beach dropped compared to the previous years, yet tourists are spotted at the beach. In the global tourism sector, it is an honour for us to have Ngapali as one of the unspoiled beaches. The festival is being planned to kick off in the second or third week of November,” said U Tin Htut Aung, director of the Rakhine State Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.
Welcoming the visitors with beach sports activities
Beach vacations can improve physical and mental health. That being so, tourists and home-grown visitors take vacations at the beach annually. The pandemic affected tourism patterns and international travel came to a stop. Myanmar’s tourism sector was revived in 2021. During the tourism peak season, Ngapali Beach attracts tourists and local visitors with beach sports and fun events. — Nyein Thu (MNA)/GNLM
