Tourist arrivals to Myanmar soar to a record 2.2 m in 2015

Thursday, 18 February 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Myanmar attracted a record 4.2 million visitors in 2015, with at least 800,000 entering the country by air and ship, and over 2.2 million through border checkpoints, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

In Yangon alone, over 1 million arrivals were recorded, a 13.1% increase from 2014. About 815,949 of the total were from Asian countries and 171,544 from Europe. Thailand, as usual, led the way with 160,852 visitors, followed by China (99,821), Japan (86,491) and South Korea (62,306).

Visitor arrivals also hiked in other destinations such as Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake. Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, received 306,432 visitors in 2015, up 26% from 2014.

Myanmar Tourism Federation (MTF) Vice Chairman Aung Myat Kyaw opined that the recent political landscape has encouraged more tourists to visit Myanmar. “The overall growth is about 20% year-on-year. I’m sure we will see more arrivals in 2016 and 2017,” he said.

New hotels are also sprouting up across the country to accommodate the increasing number of tourists, stated U Tin Win, chairman of Myanmar Hotelier Association. He said a total of 340 hotels opened in 2015, while 290 opened in 2014.