FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Myanmar foresees 35% rise in visitors from Singapore

Myanmar foresees 35% rise in visitors from Singapore

THANKS TO 30-day visa exemption for citizens of Myanmar and Singapore, which became effective on Thursday (December 1), the number of Singaporean travellers to Myanmar is predicted to increase by 35 per cent, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Union Minister Ohn Maung said that arrival of Singaporeans will rise to 35 per cent if Myanmar successfully promotes its abundant tourist attractions. 
“Myanmar is safe, excellent to travel the whole year round, and our food is certainly something to come back for over and over again,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the visa exemption agreement between the two countries has been effective since December 1 so that citizens of both countries, either for business or leisure, no longer need to apply for the visa. The visa exemption was announced on June 1, 2016 during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Myanmar.
May Myat Mon Win, chairperson of Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM), part of Myanmar Tourism Federation, said that 5 decades-long bilateral diplomatic relations would translate into strong growth of two-way tourism and stronger people-to-people relations.
“We have witnessed a surge of Singaporean travelers and look forward to this growing. We are on a mission to show the world what this hidden gem called Myanmar has to offer. In doing so, we would like to dispel some myths about the country,” she said.
She said that the organisation on Thursday led a delegation of Myanmar hospitality and travel companies to Singapore, in coincidence with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s official visit. The Singapore roadshow this week features a high-level business matching meeting among 50 Myanmar and Singapore tour companies. It also serves as a lead-up to the first Myanmar Tourism Festival in Singapore to be held next month.
“We are working closely with tourism players from both countries to create travel packages that will make Myanmar even more attractive to Singaporeans,” she said.
May Myat Mon Win recommended visiting Myanmar during the green season from June to September. To her, the key destinations for Singaporeans visiting Myanmar are Yangon and Mandalay, where there are direct flights from Singapore. 
The ministry statistics show that 45,125 Singaporeans visited Myanmar last year, which marks the fifth largest number of Asian visitors by nationality, after Thailand, China, Japan, and Korea. This year, as of August, more than 32,000 Singaporeans have visited the country, an increase of 18 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Most visits to Myanmar from Singapore are for business, which is a testament to the strong bilateral trade, while leisure travellers continue to rise, she said. According to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, Singapore is currently the second largest investor in Myanmar after China with 221 enteron prises committing to invest nearly $16 billion (Bt570 billion), accounting for 23.28 per cent of the accumulated foreign direct investment. 
Edwin Briels, a member of MTM Executive Committee who has lived in Myanmar for more than 15 years, encouraged visitors to venture out the country’s treasured spots such as Bagan, Inle Lake, beaches and highlands. 
 

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