Myanmar Tourism Marketing has been targeting the Japanese market with a series of promotional activities in Tokyo coinciding with one of the world’s biggest travel industry events, media reported.
As well as participating in the four-day JATA Tourism Expo, which opened on September 21, MTM is holding a seminar on Myanmar’s tourism infrastructure on September 25, after the trade fair ends.
MTM is also hosting a photo exhibition of the country’s tourist attractions from September 25 to 27, online travel industry publication eTurboNews reported on September 23.
MTM is using its presence at the expo to highlight the country’s scenic destinations, including islands in the south, beaches in the west and mountains in the north, eTurboNews said.
A new campaign by MTM is introducing active destinations for younger travellers through community-based tourism programmes, such as diving in the Myeik Archipelago, trekking around Inle and Kalaw, and exploring the mountains, caves and lakes near Hpa-an, it said.
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“You may have known Myanmar as a cultural destination. In reality, there are so many appealing elements that make up the country,” Daw May Myat Mon Win, the chairperson of MTM, told eTurboNews.
MTM, which is part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation and is mainly privately funded, promotes Myanmar as a sustainable, year-round tourism destination.
“We’re doing all we can to ensure that international visitors have a wonderful time in Myanmar, all year round,” May Myat Mon Win said.
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism figures show that Myanmar welcomed more than two million foreign visitors from January to the end of July, up 22 percent on the same period last year.
Myanmar had been expecting to attract 3.5 million tourists this year, up from 2.9 million in 2016, however travel agencies and hotels have reported some cancellations over the violence that began in Rakhine State on August 25.
In a statement posted on Facebook on September 9, MTM stressed that most of the country was safe and encouraged foreigners to visit, although it advised them to monitor travel advisories issued by Myanmar and foreign governments.
“We continue to believe that tourism is a good way to connect people and to bring development and peace all over Myanmar for everybody from any race or religion, and we do call to tourists all over the world to continue visiting Myanmar,” MTM said.
