China, Myanmar Sign MOU on Tourism CooperationChina and Myanmar reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Saturday, December 2, on the implementation plan for outbound travel by Chinese citizens to Myanmar.The MOU between the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism was signed by visiting Vice Chairman of CNTA Sun Gang and Myanmar Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism Brigadier General Aye Myint Kyu. Attending the MOU signing ceremony were Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Liang Dong and Myanmar Minister of Hotels and Tourism Major General Saw Lwin. According to the MOU, both sides agreed that the approval of Myanmar as an official outbound destination country for Chinese citizens travelling abroad at their own expense by the Chinese Government is the result of the joint concern and encouragement from the state leaders of both countries. The relevant departments of both countries must conduct this business in a meticulous way to ensure that the business will develop in a healthy and orderly direction from the very beginning, the MOU said. On the Chinese side, the business of outbound travel by Chinese citizens to Myanmar will be handled by the 66 designated travel agencies, which have been authorized by CNTA to conduct outbound travel by Chinese citizens, and the Myanmar side will recommend to the Chinese side an appropriate number of law abiding, creditable and competent travel agencies as land operators for handling Chinese tour groups to Myanmar, the MOU stated. The tourism administrative departments of both countries will be responsible for the management and supervision of their respective travel agencies, and for protecting the legal rights of tourists, and severe punishment should be applied to travel agencies violating tourist interests, the MOU stressed. The cross-border travel by Chinese citizens to Myanmar will be managed according to this MOU as of the date when the outbound travel by Chinese citizens to Myanmar at their own expense is officially started, it added. Sun Gang, who led a five-member China National Tourism Administration delegation, arrived here Friday evening for a four-day visit to Myanmar. According to official statistics, there are 492 hotels, motels and inns with nearly 14,000 rooms in Myanmar, earning over 30 million U.S. dollars annually. A total of 151,970 foreign tourists visited Myanmar in the first eight months of this year, of which 1,938 were from China. |
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