Domestic airlines insisted that fares for foreign travellers would rise about 10 percent for the coming high season, despite figures showing an average 30pc increase on the same time last year.
As a reasonably experienced traveller, I should have known better by than to trust the guidebook without also gathering some local intelligence about the wisdom of my plan.
NAational carrier Myanmar Airways International plans to launch direct flights from Yangon to Vientiane, Hong Kong and Seoul later this year, a spokesperson said last week.
Hotels at Chaungtha Beach are planning monsoon sales to attract visitors during the rainy season, an official from the Chaungtha Hoteliers Association said last week.
Tourists could soon be eligible for a visa on arrival, a senior Ministry of Immigration and Population official said last week, with business travellers able to access the service from June 1.
The tourism industry’s pricing war – which has operators and hoteliers at loggerheads over soaring hotel room rates – is damaging the industry’s reputation, industry experts say.
It is the time of year when travel agents and hotels start discussing contracts for the coming high season. This year, however, the negotiating balance has shifted considerably towards the hotels.
Myanmar is full of destinations for pilgrimage tours, most of them important pagodas where Buddhists travel in large numbers to pray and pay homage.
As Myanmar shuffles its way along the winding road to democratic reform, a handful global travellers have taken notice of the recent political changes, shaken off their reservations about visiting the “mysterious” destination, and descended on the country in increasing numbers.
The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is introducing a star rating system at hotels across the country, a ministry spokesperson said.
