Record number of visitors expected at two major beaches
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The Hotels and Tourism Ministry expected that Chaungtha and Ngwe Saung beaches would see the record number of visitors this year.
A total of 38,897 tourists, primarily from Germany, Switzerland, China, Japan and France, visited Chaungtha beach in January and February this year, while a total of 18,699 tourists, primarily from China, Germany, France, the US and the UK, visited Ngwe Saung in the same period.
“In 2013, the number of visitors to Ngwe Saung was over 39,000, but in 2014, it went over 70,000. In terms of percentage, it went up by 78 per cent. As for Chaungtha, the numbers were over 240,000 in 2013, and there was not much of a difference in 2014,” said Aung Thu Oo, the deputy director of the Ayeyawady Region.
“In 2015, the increase in tourism is very apparent. This year will be better than previous years, especially as roads and infrastructures have improved,” he added.
The numbers indicate that local travellers prefer to go to Chaungtha beach for holidays, while international visitors prefer Ngwe Saung for its cleaner beaches.
According to Lonely Planet, Chaungtha “is not the most awe-inspiring piece of coastline, but if you need to squeeze some sand and sun into your visit to Myanmar, it is a relatively convenient and affordable option”.
Meanwhile, though Ngwe Saung is not one of the region’s best beaches, it has finer sand and clearer and deeper water than nearby Chaungtha Beach.
Both beaches are within a 5-hour drive from Yangon.
