.
Tourism between Myanmar and Thailand is set to accelerate after
the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Myanmar Tourism Marketing
Committee (MTM) decided for the first time to cooperate on allowing
rally cars to pass through their common border.
.
MTM secretary U Myo Thwin told The Myanmar Times that an agreement has been reached but it had not yet been decided when it will take effect.
“A
few details have to be worked out before we decide the exact date when
rally cars will pass through Myanmar’s border with Thailand, but we
expect it to be in September or toward the end of the year,” he said.
The
car rally will start at Myanmar’s Htee Khee border area in Tanintharyi
Region and go through Thailand’s Kanchanaburi, Sukhothai and two other
ancient cities before returning through the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border
area.
“The Myanmar Tourism Marketing Committee is exploring
possible destinations around the country as car rallies have the
potential to increase tourism among both domestic and international
travelers.
“The Myanmar Heritage Trail Tourism Rally has been in the planning since 2015,” he said.
“The
rally-car market is getting more popular. Hotel occupancy rates are
mostly up with more local rather than international visitors,” U Myo
Thwin said, adding, “We should take care of domestic tourism development
first, which is very important. The rallies are intended as a market
promotion tool and will help regional tourism development. That’s why we
are seeking the best potential destinations.”
Last year, only
2.9 million international tourists visited Myanmar, but there were more
than six million domestic travelers, which exceeded expectations.
U
Khin Aung Htun, deputy chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, said
that domestic tourists can explore various scenic routes and learn
about the different cultures and traditions of local people, which will
help boost domestic tourism.
“Domestic tourism will improve if
there is a stable political climate. Tourism in Kayin State has doubled.
Now more than 100 people visit the state each day, up from about 10
before,” he said.
“The first part of the Myanmar Heritage Trail
Tourism Rally was to Pyay, Bagan and the Pyu ancient cities in 2015. The
second and third trips took participants to the Golden Triangle and
Rakhine, Mrauk-U and Arrawaddy regions in 2016.
“Currently, there
are ongoing trips to the south, and a fourth trip to Mon State and
Tanintharyi Region started June 3 and will end on Friday,” he said.
Daw
May Myat Mon Win, chair of MTM, said, “Many people thought that the
roads were very bad and unsafe for cars, but the roads are not as
terrible as they thought they were. The route was pleasant when we went
to Mrauk-U. Also the roads in Mon and Tanintharyi in the south are
improving.”
Daw May Myat Mon Win said that relying on
international tourists is not good because when foreign countries have
economic downturns, it affects Myanmar’s tourism. So, pushing domestic
tourism makes sense because it offers long-term sustainability, she
said.
“Cities like Bagan and Mrauk-U depend heavily on domestic travelers,” U Khin Aung Htun said.
“We
have been to the east, west and south of the country. If possible, we
want to look at Myitkyina in Kachin State in the north as a potential
destination for car rallies,” he said.
.
