Myanmar (Burma) sees world’s fastest tourism growth

Myanmar ranked highest among the world’s 20 fastest-growing travel destinations last year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Myanmar Tourism Marketing, part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, said the country enjoyed a year-on-year increase of 40.2 per cent in tourist numbers, followed by Puerto Rico at 31.2 per cent and Iran at 27.9 per cent.

“We need to keep this momentum going for many more years,” said May Myat Mon Win, Myanmar Tourism Marketing chairperson.

The government has introduced new regulations to facilitate easier access for tourists as a next step to opening up to the world.

Myanmar grants residents of Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and some Southeast Asian countries visa-free entry.

People from India, the Chinese mainland, Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and Switzerland are granted visas on arrival.

Citizens of more than 100 countries are eligible for e-visas via evisa.moip.gov.mm and can expect approval within three days.

Myanmar Tourism Marketing will have its annual “Green Season” campaign for May through September with the support of hotels, airlines and tour operators.

Fastest-growing travel destinations:

1. Myanmar 40.2 per cent

2. Puerto Rico 31.2

3. Iran 27.9

4. Uzbekistan 27.3

5. Montenegro 21.4

6. Egypt 21.1

7. Vietnam 16.2

8. The Philippines 15.1

9. Maldives 14.9

10. Bahamas 14.6

11. Qatar 14.5

12. Armenia 14.4

12. South Korea 14.4

13. Turkey 14

14. Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.7

15. Tunisia 13.6

16. Laos 11.5

17. Azerbaijan 11.4

18. Israel 10.5

19. Lithuania 10.1

20. Kazakhstan 10

Source - TheNation

#Cambodia - Battambang province shows off attractive tourism destinations

Tourists watch bats fly out of a cave in Phnom Sampov mountain, Battambang province.

 Well-known as an agricultural land, Battambang province has lured tourists both from Cambodia and overseas with its unique attractive spots – from ancient temples and other buildings to ecotourism.

Located some 300 kilometres north of Phnom Penh, the province is hosting this year’s annual river festival next month at which tourism products and services as well as locally made-products will be promoted widely.

More and more foreign tourists, particularly those from Western countries, have visited the province, viewinging the old buildings from the French colonial era, local people said.

As mentioned, ancient temples including Ek Phnom and Banan, as well as Phnom Sampov mountain, famed for its bat cave, are the most attractive spots for tourists, they said.

Soeun Ratha, owner of Holiday Guesthouse, located in Battambang town, said: “The number of foreign tourists visiting Battambang province has increased in recent years. Foreign tourists, mostly French, Spanish and Russian… like sightseeing the old buildings from French colonial era and their numbers keep increasing.”

Leaflets from the provincial tourism department of Battambang province show that among the tourism spots in the province is Prek Toal bird sanctuary on Tonle Sap lake.

Phoeung Than, a tourism police officer at Ek Phnom temple, said the number of foreign tourists is still not too many, but there are daily visitors from Cambodia and beyond, not in tour groups but as individuals.

He also said foreign tourists mostly stay in the province for a short while for an individual tour to explore the architecture styles of French-colony buildings and also to experience local people’s way of life, including agricultural practices.

Source - Khmer Times

#Shanghai Disney shuts to prevent spread of virus

Walt Disney Co's Shanghai Disney Resort will be closed until further notice to help China stop the spread of a flu-like virus, costing the theme park operator revenue during the country's biggest holiday season.

China is on a seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, a period when the Shanghai Disney park would be usually packed with tourists. Last year Shanghai Disney had to stop selling tickets to visitors as the park got overcrowded.

"In response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and Cast, Shanghai Disney Resort is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown ... starting Jan. 25," the company said on its website.

"We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and ... announce the reopening date upon confirmation."

Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and neighbouring Huanggang, a city of about 7 million people, were in virtual lockdown, with restrictions in place elsewhere. A new coronavirus which broke out in Wuhan, central China, late last year has killed 25 people and infected more than 800.

Many businesses including retailers, airlines, travel agencies and hotel operators are on high alert, as health authorities fear the infection rate could accelerate over the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad.

The outbreak has already prompted seven Chinese films that were set to premiere during the holiday to postpone screenings, forgoing what is usually the best week of the year at the Chinese box office.

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Disney said it would refund tickets for admission to Shanghai Disneyland, on China's east coast, more than 800 km from Wuhan, or other services at the park as well as hotel bookings.

The estimated financial impact on the U.S. company's first theme park in mainland China, which opened in mid-2016 in its largest overseas investment at $5.5 billion, was not immediately clear.

The company was not immediately available to comment.

Shanghai Disney carried out a resort-wide makeover this month for a four-week event through Feb. 9 to celebrate the Year of the Rat with its characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and target China's middle class and booming domestic tourism.

Walt Disney Co owns a 43 percent stake in Shanghai Disney Resort which has Shanghai Disneyland theme park and two hotels with a total of 1,220 rooms.

The impact on businesses is set to increase as China discourages locals from gathering in crowded places. It has already stepped up measures to contain the virus, with public transport suspensions in 10 cities, the shutting of temples and closing the Forbidden City, Beijing's most famous tourist attraction.

Japan's Fast Retailing Co Ltd said on Friday it has temporarily closed 17 Uniqlo stores in Wuhan. China is a key growth market for the company which faces a saturated market and weak consumer spending in Japan. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Indonesia - Bali named eighth 'most Instagrammable place' in world

Travel publication Big 7 Travel released its 2020 list of the "most Instagrammable places in the world", with Bali ranking eighth.

The destinations are ranked in order of their visual allure and popularity on social media.

To compile the list, Big 7 Travel selected the winners by analyzing the amount of hashtags per destination, surveying the publication's 1.5 million readers and conducting a vote among a panel of travel experts.

“These are the places where you'll find sweeping stretches of coastline, historical monuments, kitsch cocktail bars and more street art than you can possibly imagine,” said Sarah Clayton-Lea, Big 7 Travel’s head of content, in a statement.

Bali was ranked at number eight, being described as "paradise" with white sandy beaches, waterfalls, cute swings and floating breakfast.

The Edge villa resort in Uluwatu was mentioned by the publication for its famous infinity pools.

This year’s most Instagrammable destination is Australia's Sydney, which received the honor thanks to the city’s vibrant and beautiful scenery.

Cities that also made it into the top 20 include Croatia's Dubrovnik and Paris. These cities received high scores due to their pastel-colored streets, lively markets and photo spots.

“Other Instagrammable places in the Top 50 to add to your ‘must-visit’ include Istanbul in Turkey and Cusco in Peru,” Sarah added.

Source - TheJakartaPost

 Below is the top 10 list of most Instragrammable places in 2020 according to Big 7 Travel:

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Hong Kong

3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4. New York City, United States

5. Singapore

6. Tokyo, Japan

7. Lisbon, Portugal

8. Bali, Indonesia

9. London, England

10. Jaipur, India

#Indonesia - Komodo dragons continue to lure foreign tourists to Labuan Bajo

The town of Labuan Bajo, the gate to the famous Komodo National Park, reportedly welcomed more tourists in 2019 than in the previous year.

According to West Manggarai Tourism Agency head Agustinus Rinus, 163,807 people visited Labuan Bajo in 2018, while in 2019 it welcomed 184,206 visitors.

"The number of tourists to this region continues to increase every year, which largely affected regional revenue," said Agustinus in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday as quoted by Antara.

In 2018, West Manggarai regency's revenue from tourism fees was said to have reached Rp 34 billion (US$2,490,604), doubling in 2019 to Rp 60 billion. "This is a significant rise following our attempt to curb tourist boats that brought tourists to diving spots."

According to the agency's data, most of the tourists who visited Labuan Bajo to marvel at the iconic Komodo dragons hailed from Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, among other countries

Source - TheJakartaPost

Luxury #Cambodia getaways win worldwide deluxe resort awards

Cambodia used to have the unwanted reputation of a “land of conflict and sorrow”. But that has dramatically changed in recent years. The Kingdom is now known as the place where you can find dome of the best and most alluring luxury destinations in the world.

Last week, that new reputation was strengthened with reports that Shinta Mani Wild and Song Saa Private Island bagged more than a few recognitions in the Destination Deluxe Awards 2019.

The Destination Luxury Awards are the brainchild of Destination Deluxe, a travel and wellness publication that picks and recognizes the top hotels, spas, treatment, skincare and wellness brands in the world. This is the inaugural edition for the awards.

There are 28 categories for the awards. The winners are chosen by a group of distinguished industry experts based on quality, transparency and originality. There are three ranked winners for each category.

Song Saa Private Island is the top awardee in the Eco-Hotel of the Year category. Soneva Fushi in Maldives and Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge in Nicaragua are also on the list.

The Khmer Tonic Spa in Shinta Mani Wild is number one in the Eco-Spa of the Year category. The others in the list are Fivelements Retreat Bali in Indonesia and FieldSpa GoldenEye in Jamaica.
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Shinta Mani Wild itself is the runner-up in the New Hotel of the Year and Hotel Design of the Year awards.

The other winners in the New Hotel of the Year category are Rosewood Hong Kong in Hong Kong and Amarla Boutique Hotel in Colombia.

For the Hotel Design of the Year, the others on the list are Datai Langkawi in Malaysia and Joe Lalli Resort Hotel in China.

“It is both an honour and very humbling that Bensley Collection-Shinta Mani Wild has been the recipient of ten awards in its first year of operation and a tribute to the GM and his team for their dedication, commitment and hard work on a daily basis,” Bill Bensley, the world-renowned designer behind Shinta Mani Wild, said.

“Shinta Mani Wild has an important eco and sustainability message, especially with our Wildlife Alliance partnership and their daily patrols to protect the forest and its inhabitants. These awards also bring much-needed awareness to the work we do in this regard,” he added.

The two Cambodian luxury destinations have reaped numerous international awards between them in recent years.

Shinta Mani Wild, which sits on 160 hectares of land between the Cardamon, Bokor and Kirirom national parks, said that it “provides the highest level of luxury while also working to protect the environment around it”. It opened two years ago.

Last year, it was included in the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Big Sleep Awards 2019, Time magazine’s “100 Greatest Destinations on Earth”, Condé Nast Traveller (UK) Hot List 2019, Harper’s Bazaar Ultimate Travel Guide 2019 (UK) : 100 Greatest Experiences in The World, among other recognitions. Located in Preah Sihanouk province, Song Saa Private Island is an ultra-exclusive and luxury getaway said to be frequented by some of the richest and most famous people in the world.

Last month, Luxury Travel Intelligence named it as among the “top 10 best luxury hotels built this decade”.

Source - Khmer Times

#Vietnam - Son Doong voted among world's seven wonders for 2020

British magazine Conde Nast Traveler has named Son Doong, the world's largest cave in central Vietnam, one of seven must-explore wonders of 2020.

Son Doong, a fast-emerging tourist destination in Quang Binh Province, joined six awe-inspiring spots on the list published on Tuesday.

These included Mosquito Bay in Puerto Rico, Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona, Marianna Trench in Marianna Islands, Don Sheldon Amphitheatre in the U.S., International Space Station in low Earth orbit, and Caracol, a large ancient Mayan site in Belize.

"Nestled deep in the jungles of Phong Nha Ke-Bang National Park, Son Doong Cave features the planet’s largest chamber measuring 600-feet high, 300-feet wide, and over 2.5-miles long," the magazine wrote.

"The scale of the site’s interior is so massive it could fit an entire New York block inside, including skyscrapers, or have a Boeing 747 comfortably fly through without its wings being in any danger," it added.

Son Doong opened to tourists in 2013 with the five kilometer-long system, 150 meters high and 200 meters wide, containing at least 150 individual caves, a dense subterranean jungle and several underground rivers.

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Due to limited space, registration for Son Doong tours must be made well in advance with Oxalis, the only company licensed to run the service.

A four-day expedition costs $3,000, with buses running from Hanoi to Dong Hoi, capital of Quang Binh, and on to the Phong Nha Ke-Bang National Park.

Quang Binh’s government recently increased the number of tourists allowed to visit the cave in a year from 640 to 900.
World famous DJ Alan Walker recently unleashed an MV depicting a young archaeologist on a quest to discover a place of mystery and wonder. After uncovering a hidden secret in a painting, she finds Quang Binh to be just the destination, mesmerized at the marvels of Son Doong, the largest natural cave in the world.

Early last year, U.K.-based travel guide publisher, Lonely Planet, named Son Doong Cave among the best places to visit in 2019.

 In Britain, a Son Doong expedition was among the greatest adventures ever, according to British TV channel Dave, a panel of travel experts and editors of U.K. tabloid Daily Mail that polled 2,000 people aged 40 or under last September.

CNN in September said exploring the world’s largest cave, eating pho in Hanoi and cruising down Mekong Delta are among the 13 most memorable experiences in Vietnam.

Of the original seven wonders of the world, only the Great Pyramids of Giza remain. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Temple of Artemis, and Colossus of Rhodes have all faded to dust and memory, according to Conde Nast Traveler.

The U.K. magazine every year selects a new set of seven wonders, the most awe-inspiring places on the planet for star-gazing, wildlife spotting and astonishing panoramas.

 

Source - VN Express