JICA expects 20.4 million tourists to visit Myanmar by 2030
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) estimates that the total number of tourists to visit Myanmar between 2013 and 2030 will reach at least 20.4 million. The number of local travelers is estimated to reach 29.3 million in the same period.
The Myanmar government is working on developing a tourism ‘master plan’ to lure foreign visitors. The plan’s budget is US$ 486.60 million. Implementation of the plan began last year and will end in 2030.
The estimates of Myanmar’s Hotel and Tourism Ministry, however, differ from those of JICA, placing the projected number of visitors by 2030 at only 7 million.
The master plan was set up with the assistance of the Norwegian government and the Asian Development Bank.
Myanmar’s hotel and tourism sector has growth steadily since the country opened its doors to foreign investment in 2011. The hotel and tourism sector has generated $940 million since then, and 85 percent of that revenue was earned by private individuals, according to Hotels and Tourism Minister Htay Aung.
The ministry expects the country will earn more than $1 billion from tourism this year.
Last year, the sector grew by 93 per cent, creating many job opportunities for Myanmar citizens
The minister expressed a desire to see the tourism sector to remain sustainable.
