103.02.24200万游客大关击中缅甸成长的烦恼.docx

Growing pains as Myanmar hits 2 million visitor mark By Zaw Win Than | Monday, 24 Fcbmary 2014 12 Myanmar welcomed more a ^record-breaking^ 2 million visitors last year but rising travel costs associated with a shortage of hotel rooms could hamper future gTowth, indiistry experts have warned. escorted past an ancient pagoda at Bagan? Photo: AFP Nevertheless, Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Htay Aung told Tlie Myanmar Tinies he was upbeat about the 2013 result and forecast more of the same this year ? “The year 2013 was a successful year for the tourism industry in Myanmar/^ he said in a recent interview. “We received more than 2 million vis让ot arrivals from January to December in 2013, which is a record-breaking [number]? In 2014, we will endeavour to get 3 million visitor arrivals, he said, adding tliat Myanmars chairing of ASEAN during 2014 should help boost the totals. Tlie nation is scheduled to host between 300 and 500 meetings of the regional bloc this year, from ministers summ让s on down to smaller working groups. From January 1 to December 31, 2.04 million foreign visitors entered tlie country, with 885,476 arriving by air, 6086 by water and more than 1.15 million by land tlirough border checkpoints? Tliis was almost double the foreign vis让ots that arrived the previous year? Visits through Yangon, the main gateway for Western tourists, jumped 44,8ipc on 2012, tourism ministry statistics show, with 803,014 foreign tourists arriving via the country-s largest city and primary international air gateway last year? Of these, 550478 visitors 一 or around 69pc 一 were from Asian countries and 157,840 from Europe. France provided the largest number of European vis让ors with 33,250, followed by the Un让ed Kingdom and Germany? Business visa arrivals jumped 32.28 pc, from 114,456 in 2012 to 151,320 in 2013, while social visa arrivals rose 2O.6ipc, from 37,778 to 45,556? Visits by foreign individual travellers, or FITs, through the Yangon gateway jumped 25.iopc, from 234,72