A start date for the one-year trial scheme will be announced shortly (Representative)
Naypyidaw:
Myanmar will offer visas on arrival to Chinese and Indian tourists, state media reported, as the ruling junta tries to lure back foreign visitors and their money. A start date for the one-year pilot program “will be announced soon,” the Global New Light of Myanmar reported, citing the junta’s immigration ministry.
Holders of the visas “will be allowed to visit all locations except restricted areas for security reasons,” the report in Thursday’s paper said.
Currently, citizens of both countries must apply for a tourist visa online or at a Myanmar embassy.
The military is struggling to suppress opposition to the 2021 coup and has admitted there are parts of the country it does not fully control.
Countries such as the United States and Australia advise against all travel to Myanmar due to the ongoing conflict.
China and India, which both share long and porous borders with Myanmar, have maintained ties with the isolated generals since the coup.
The junta’s tourism ministry is also working to attract travelers from Russia, another key ally and arms supplier.
Earlier this month, the national carrier began direct flights to Novosibirsk, Russia, and the junta has said it is working to enable the use of Russia’s Mir cards for direct payments.
Myanmar was opened to tourists in 2011 after decades of military rule and became popular among travelers.
It closed its borders during the coronavirus pandemic and the military’s coup and subsequent bloody crackdown on dissent have kept visitors away.
The economy has collapsed, with the local kyat currency plummeting against the dollar and power outages plaguing major cities, where access to ATMs and currency exchanges is patchy.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
