Myanmar sees bright prospects for its tourism industry in 2015

Myanmar, among the world tourist destinations, expects to attract five million tourists in 2015, reports China’s Xinhua news agency. Myanmar also targets to bring in over 7.5 million tourists in 2020.

Of the 3.05 million tourists who visited Myanmar in 2014, 70 per cent mainly came from Asean member countries, followed by those from Europe especially Britain and Germany.

The 2014 figure was up 49.5 per cent from 2.04 million in 2013, official statistics shows.

Myanmar’s tourism earning hit US$1.14 billion in 2014, breaking the record of last year’s US$914 million.

The tourism industry accounted for 4.2 per cent of the overall gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. It created about 6.5 per cent of the total job opportunities.

There are over 1,000 hotels including inns, motels and guest houses owned by local businessmen, most of which are located in Yangon, the commercial hub of Myanmar.

There is a total of 39 foreign-invested hotels and commercial complexes across the country including Yangon and Mandalay Region.

The country sees bright prospects for its tourism industry in 2015 for its rich culture heritage and numerous attractive tourist sites.