Myanmar Gets Set to Play Host to ASEAN Tourism Forum

Myanmar´s authorities have decided to host its first Tourism Forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in mid January next year.

The nine-day forum, scheduled to take place from January 13 to 21, would provide valuable opportunities to promote the country´s tourism industry, a deputy head of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism was quoted by the Myanmar Times as saying.

Private tour operators in the country are being urged to participate in launching the preparatory activities.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has carried out contests for domestic hotels in the designation of ASEAN-level status for providing better hotel services to visitors from the region.

Besides, Myanmar has also hurled tourism promotional campaigns in some major Asian cities, including New Delhi, Osaka, Tokyo, Singapore and Malaysia for increased tourist arrivals.

In the fiscal year 2004-05, which ended in March, a total of 900,000 foreign tourists, including cross-border trekkers, churning out over $50 million worth of earnings.