Myanmar, Japan to promote tourism in face of arrival drop

Myanmar and Japan will jointly promote tourism this year in the wake of a drop in tourist arrivals in Myanmar from Japan, a local media reported Thursday.

Due to the mega earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March, tourist arrivals from Japan have decreased despite its upward trend since late 2006.

Visitors from Japan stood third in Myanmar's tourist arrivals and their travel destinations mainly cover Yangon, Bago and Bagan, said the Popular News.

Nearly 17 million Japanese travel worldwide annually, of which about 4 million travel to ASEAN countries.

According to statistics, the number of tourist arrivals in Myanmar reached over 140,000 in the first four months of 2011, up from over 109,000 in 2010 correspondingly.

Meanwhile, the tourism authorities are making efforts to promote its international tourism market in cooperation with international and domestic airlines, hotels, tour operators and travel agencies.

Myanmar's tourism season, which falls in the open season, runs from October to April.

Source:Xinhua

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