YANGON, 13 January 2020: Myanmar has eased visa regulations to draw more tourists to the country this year according to Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Ohn Maung.
In a statement at the weekend, distributed by the Myanmar Touriism Federation, he noted that effective 1 January the government had introduced visa-on-arrival (VoA) for an additional five countries.
The latest eligible countries are Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and New Zealand.
The VoA facility will be available to travellers from these countries for a three-year trial period.
Commenting on the news, Myanmar Tourism Marketing chairperson May Myat Mon Win said: “We do hope that all these new regulations to ease access to Myanmar, will lead to more travellers from around the world to discover the unique Myanmar culture, nature and most of all the diversity and hospitality of the people.”
Myanmar Tourism Marketing has invited travel journalists and Instagrammers to visit the country and is organising a raft of complementary media trips for publications that are prepared to write promotional stories in exchange for hosted travel.
A visa on arrival will be issued only to those arriving by airline through Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw International airports. It costs USD 50 and is valid for a stay of 30 days with no provision to extend the stay.
Visitors are allowed to travel any tourist sites, except the areas restricted for security reasons and may exit Myanmar from any international entry/exit points of the country.
Last October the country included Itala, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Russia and Australia to the visa on arrival list.
Chinese tourists were granted a visa on arrival at Yangon International Airport, Mandalay International Airport and Nay Pyi Taw International Airport for one year, effective from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019. It has since been extended for another year to 30 September 2020.
