BAGAN ancient cultural zone is thronged chiefly with visitors in Thadingyut festival, and the hotels and guesthouses are also fully booked by the travellers on the day before the full moon day, on the full moon day and the day after the full moon day this year.

The travellers from the upper and lower parts of Myanmar visited last year’s festival before the full moon day, and the place, as well as the road, monasteries and pendals, were crowded with travellers.

Bagan hosted over 600,000 visitors on the full moon day of Thadingyut last year, whereas about 8,000 on the day before the full moon day, a wellknown pagoda hosted about 6,000 travellers. Therefore, the hotels and guesthouses were fully booked, and the locals enjoyed proper job opportunities.

The locals estimate the number of visitors to Bagan this year’s Thadingyut festival will be on the rise.

“It seems to be crowded with visitors this year Thadingyut festival like the previous year. The hotels and guesthouses are fully booked for the day before the full moon day, on the full moon day and the day after the full moon day. The booking is available for the rest of the day. The Bagan region is peaceful, and visitors from Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Taunggyi and Yangon can visit and make hotel reservations in advance. The region survives in the tourism industry, and locals are satisfied with job opportunities. The number of visitors was high last year, and so this year it will also be high. We are also glad to see that preparations are made to offer the best services to the travellers,” said U Win Aung, deputy director of the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.

There are 3,877 pagodas, stupas and temples in the Bagan Ancient Cultural Heritage Zone, and locals offer candlelight at Shwezigon Pagoda and other pagodas in respective townships and villages on the full moon day of Thadingyut.

There are 3,877 pagodas, stupas and temples in the Bagan Ancient Cultural Heritage Zone, and locals offer candlelight at Shwezigon Pagoda and other pagodas in respective townships and villages on the full moon day of Thadingyut.

Shwezigon, Htilominlo, Alotawpyae, Ananda, Culamuni, Dhammayangyi Shwesandaw, Gadawpalin, Buu Phaya, Manuha, Mya Zedi, Lawka Nanda and Dhammayazika pagodas are packed with alms food donors in the morning and candlelight donors at night.

“The rooms of our guesthouses are fully booked for 16, 17, and 18 October. We don’t change the prices for the convenience of travellers. They are our benefactors, and our services are symbols that promote the dignity of Bagan. All might be happy if the electricity is provided during the festival period. Thirty-nine hotels are ready to offer services for the travellers,” said U Moe Wai of the Bagan Apartment 18 Guesthouse.

There are 153 licenced hotels and guesthouses in the Bagan Ancient Cultural Heritage Zone. — Nyein Thu (MNA)/ KTZH