The military council is trying to revive the tourism sector with Chinese visitors, which has declined significantly in more than three years since the military coup.
Last May, China's tourism agencies and More than 40 people related to tourism were invited to Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay It was shown with Bagan and Bagang.
"They say Myanmar is not a place you should visit under the current situation."
But no one will visit a country that is not safe, domestically, A foreign tour operator told RFA.
The military council is making remedies for tourism. But there will be no effect. During these four years, the tourism industry has been destroyed beyond use. Hotels that had to close due to improper lighting. There are hotels that have been stopped because of the fighting. Therefore, if you don't first cure what is happening at the bottom, no one will come even if you invite a guest. Why would Chinese tourists die when they visit a place that is not safe for them?"
A tour guide said that even the ancient Bagan region, which is on the world heritage list, is no longer visited by foreign tourists.
"After the coup d'état, if you are a foreigner in Bagan, you will only have to go to the puppet show. You won't see me anymore. So my guests emailed me from Spain. They want to visit. They are wary of Bagan. But they say Myanmar is not a place to visit under the current situation."
The military council's lobbying for Chinese visitors will not be successful, said the local, who did not wish to be named for security reasons. A foreign travel entrepreneur reviews.
"If you ask whether success is possible, success is not possible at all. Because the other person comes after looking at his own interests. They have already analyzed how it is impossible due to the geographical situation of Myanmar. Therefore, no matter how the military council gives him many opportunities, the benefits he will get and
the process they will do are not suitable. Everything will come. They will go. Everything is not convenient."
According to the World Tourism Federation, 4.36 million tourists visited Myanmar in 2019 before the military coup and the Covid-19 epidemic.
In the lists released by the military council after the coup, in 2021, one hundred and thirty thousand In 2022, there were 230,000 foreign visitors and 1.28 million in 2023, which is an increase year by year.
Therefore, regarding the fact that in 2023, more than one million foreign visitors entered, travel agencies, When I asked the tour guides, people who have to come to Myanmar from abroad for some reason said that they use this type of visa more because it is easier to get entry with a Tourist Visa than other visas.
However, an unnamed spokesperson of Myanmar's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told RFA that how they come to Burma earns money for the country.
"The main thing is that no matter who comes, the state gets income. It has risen quite a bit more than Covid, During Covid, there were no visitors, Now that there is no need to be afraid of Covid, tourism is recovering. The guest is coming back on his own.”
After the coup, the military council is trying to attract Russian and Indian tourists in addition to Chinese tourists. On September 5, 2023, it announced the start of direct flights from Yangon and Mandalay International Airports to the Russian city of Novosibirsk.
From January to March 2024, 350,000 foreign tourists entered Myanmar, according to the May 10 issue of the Military Council's Oratory Newspapers. Among them, China is the largest, followed by Thailand.
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