Myanmar chooses Vietnam as partner when opening tourism

Myanmar is planning to restart domestic tourism in the third quarter of this year, which is considered the first stage of the country's tourism recovery. According to a statement from an official from Myanmar's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism on June 20, this is a move that is part of the Covid-19 tourism relief plan.

According to the plan, the Myanmar government expects that during this period, the country's tourism industry can recover from 20 to 22%. The Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is also negotiating with the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs to reopen pagodas, cultural sites, and scenic spots to soon restart domestic tourism.

In addition, Myanmar is also expected to open its doors to regional visitors in the fourth quarter of this year, by creating a safe travel corridor with neighboring countries with good disease control such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

In early 2021, Myanmar hopes to open its doors to Asian countries such as China and Japan. The government also expects that by early 2022, the number of international visitors returning here can reach 80-90% of pre-pandemic capacity.

"We will resume domestic tours after all hotels and destinations are reopened. However, we cannot know exactly when overseas tours can be resumed," said Nilar Win, CEO of a travel agency.

Under the recently announced Covid-19 tourism relief plan, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar has implemented measures such as: exempting license fees for one year, deferring rent payments for hotels affected by the Covid-19 epidemic for 6 months. At the same time, organizing online training, running digital marketing campaigns, branding strategies and e-commerce websites.

My Tong