Hotels nearly overbooked as tourists flock to Bagan

BAGAN—Most of the hotels in Bagan are nearly over-booked as tourists flock to the most popular destination in Myanmar this peak season.

“There has been an increase in tourist arrivals to Bagan,” said Win Tun Naing, reception manager of the Yarzagyo Hotel.

“It may seem like the sudden increase is due to the SEA Games. But it’s not. I think the visitors to the SEA Games will only arrive next month. The peak season has started. Hotels are fully booked for November and December. In our hotel, we have received 80 percent of the reservations for the last two months since August. Other hotels may also be overbooked around this time.”

“Most of the tourists coming to Bagan are from European countries. Among the Asian countries, tourists from Thailand and China mostly come here. We also saw visitors from Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea,” he added.

The increase in foreign airlines, along with the opening of more border gates, has led to an overall increase in tourist arrivals to Myanmar, including an increase in free independent travelers (FITs) to Bagan.

“There is an increase in FITs now. All the big hotels are fully booked, but they need to have good services. The arrival of French and German tourists is normal but there is an increase in tourist arrivals from the U.S. and the UK,” said Zaw Win Cho, chairman of the Myanmar Tourist Guides Association.

Bagan attracted more than 120,000 visitors last November.

source: Eleven Myanmar

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/tourism/4152-hotels-nearly-overbooked-as-tourists-flock-to-bagan