Tourism in Myanmar has taken a positive turn in 2019 with a 30% increase in visitor arrivals recorded over the January-April period. 

According to The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the significant improvement can largely be attributed to a 135% year-on-year boost in tourism arrivals from China to 212,419. 

Myanmar also welcomed a record 45,244 visitors from South Korea, representing a 89% jump from last year.

While Japanese tourists continued the upward trend accounting for 43,708 visits over the first four months of the year. 

Colliers International Myanmar noted the recent easing of visa requirements has been effective in enticing Asian tourists back after a challenging 2018. 

“Although the rise in number of Chinese and Korean travellers has offset the overall tourist drop in the previous years, operators should note that the average length of stay and expenditure will hardly be on par with that of western visitors. 

“Under the current “Look East” policy coupled with cheap flights, even more Chinese tourists are expected to join the ongoing tourism frenzy. 

“Given that majority of the projects and investments in Yangon are still mostly geared towards the upper-scale segment, Colliers encourages both hoteliers and developers to venture into the untapped potential of the mid-scale category that would be more congruous with current tourism landscape.”

Sources: Blue Swan Daily, The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Colliers International Myanmar

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