Myanmar Tourism Marketing Announces New Tourist Sites Opening in Myanmar

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Dec 14, 2017, 13:15 ET

YANGON, Myanmar, Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Myanmar has been working hard to open more tourist sites and areas for foreign tourists to discover a country which has often been called "one of the last frontiers" to open up for tourists. Since the beginning of December, the "Secretariat building", which is arguably the biggest colonial building in Southeast Asia has been opened for the public, offering guided tours four times per day through this historical building. "Visitors get to see historically significant sites such as Myanmar's very first parliament, the flagpole where the Myanmar flag was raised for the first time on Myanmar Independence day (1948) and the Martyrs' room where General Aung San and other martyrs were assassinated," says U Kan Win Oung from Asia Tours Myanmar, who is operating the tours to travel agents as well as individual tourists. He continues saying, "Currently we are open on Mondays to Fridays (slots available at 9:30, 11:30, 13:30, and 15:30 respectively) and on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. only." Entrance fees for this site include a guided tour for 6 USD / person.

This latest tourists site added to the "must visit places" in Myanmar covers an area of 6.5 hectares right in the centre of Yangon. Early adapters visiting Myanmar in the beginning of 2000 might remember this as the heavily guarded site which couldn't be approached or have pictures taken of. Yangon Heritage Trust chairman Dr Thant Myint-U said in a previous interview with the Myanmar Times about the building: "The Secretariat is a place of tremendous historical importance and a physical link to Myanmar's colonial history as well as the history of anti-colonialism and the early post-independence governments."

The Myanmar ministry of hotel & Tourism also announced that it's possible again to apply for permits to travel overland from Inle Lake to Keng Tung over highway No 4 which has been called one of the most scenic drives in Myanmar and opens up possibilities for overland road trips to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China. The area is offering stunning nature and traditional tribes that have come across few western tourists.

The Bago Yoma forests, home to many Myanmar elephants that are in danger of being poached for their skin, has opened the Bago Yoma Eco Resort in an effort to open the area up for tourism. In Southern Rakhine state, the Arakan Nature Lodge has started operating an eco-lodge right on the pristine Zikhone village beach, making it an excellent opportunity to consider this part of Southern Rakhine state as a viable new tourist destination.

The opening of this new tourist attraction comes at a time when the number of tourists arriving at Yangon airport (from January - November 2017) still shows a 7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016. The numbers, released on 11 December by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism show that the number of tourists — especially Asian tourists — increased by a double-digit percentage from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. The number of tourists from Western Europe, North America and Australia and New Zealand show a slight decrease of 8-9 percent for tourist arrivals at Yangon International Airport. Not visiting Myanmar is "a big loss for those thousands of people working in tourism in Myanmar who have nothing to do with the issue in Northern Rakhine State," as May Myat Mon Win, Myanmar Tourism Marketing Chairperson said earlier this year.

Further recent and future openings in Myanmar include the Pan Pacific Hotel that opened its doors a few weeks ago and the upcoming Hilton Mandalay and Pullman Yangon which are planned for the first quarter of 2018.

About Myanmar Tourism Marketing
Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM) aims to promote Myanmar as a sustainable tourism destination that can be visited the whole year round. It is part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation and is mainly privately funded by key members of the tourism industry in Myanmar. The MTM team is happy to assist press and media to publish more about tourism in Myanmar.

Myanmar Tourism Marketing invites social media influencers to share their experiences under @visit.myanmar or by using the hashtag #MyMyanmar.

For editors & journalists
Media queries and questions regarding this Press Release or future media trips or TV and film opportunities in Myanmar can be addressed to:

Htet Htet Lin - PR Officer
Myanmar Tourism Marketing
No. 204, Bo Myat Tun Road (Middle Block)
Pazundaung Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: +95 - 9 977204456
Mobile: +95 9 966 961079
E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.tourismmyanmar.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/myanmartm
Instagram: www.instagram.com/visit.myanmar
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MyanmarTM
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VisitMyanmar

Related Images

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The Secretariat Yangon

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SOURCE Myanmar Tourism Marketing