Official E-visa for Tourists by Myanmar from September

From September 1st, Myanmar will propose e-visa for tourists landing at Yangon International Airport. A welcome simplification as the rise in tourism could not be matched by consular agencies...

After a first short attempt in 2010 and the possibility to obtain a visa on arrival for people officially invited by the Government, Myanmar will offer from September 1st the possibility to get an online visa for tourists arriving exclusively at Yangon International Airport. The information was confirmed mid-August by Myanmar Ministry of Immigration and Population. Once the e-visa procedures for tourists start to run smoothly, authorities expect to extend the facility to business visas.

Tourists will need to file their application on the Ministry of Immigration and Population’s website. It will take approximately five open weekdays for the ministry to check out the visa application. Once it has been approved, the ministry will send an official confirmation that the traveler will have to proceed with their travel arrangement to the country.

Once at Yangon International Airport, the visitor will show the print letter of confirmation and have his visa issued. The cost of the e-visa is fixed at US$ 50. However, authorities will still have the right to refuse the entry despite the e-visa approval. The visa will have to be used within three months of approval and will be valid for 28 days. It will be available to all nationalities.

The simplification of visa procedure is likely to further boost total arrivals to the country. Myanmar expects to reach three million foreign arrivals this year and targets seven million of arrivals in 2020. Tourism revenues could reach this year over a billion dollars for the first time of the country's tourism history.

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Myanmar To Build New Airport

Myanmar’s Department of Civil Aviation says it will choose either the South Korean Incheon Airport Consortium, or the Singapore-based Yongnam, CAPE, JGC Consortium to build the new Hanthawady International Airport.

According to aviation sources, other international tenders such as Japan-based TAI SAE Corporation and Franch VINCI Airport failed to revise their financing plans a condition for the final selection round.

The department’s director general, Tin Naing Tun, said Incheon Airport and Yongnam submitted renewed financial proposals.

“We are now reviewing their financial proposals. One of them will be choosen to build the new Hanthawady International Airport.”

After initial negotiations with the Incheon consortium failed in March, the DCA said the project could not be completed by 2016 as earlier anticipated. It reviewed tender conditions and called on short-listed companies to present revised financial proposals. It could result in the airport opening as late as 2020.

Myanmar has three international airports; Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. Yangon International Airport is regarded as the country’s main gateway, but is fast reaching its capacity ceiling.

The proposed new airport is located on a 9,000-acre (3,642-hectare) site about 48 miles (77 km) northeast of Yangon in Bago. Preliminary work on the Hanthawaddy airport began in March 1994 when land was cleared, but work stopped in early 2003 without any construction firm being appointed.

Hanthawaddy will be able to handle 10 million passengers a year once completed, but could grow to triple that size over  20 years.

With the new airport nowhere in sight, Yangon International Airport, will need to expand capacity from 2.7 million passengers a year to 3.5 million in 2015, and 6 million a year by 2019.

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New Heritages Promoted in Myanmar

Hotels and Tourism Minister U Htay Aung has urged tour operators to sell trips to three ancient Pyu cities that were recently awarded World Heritage site status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The three ancient Pyu sites are: Sri Ksetra in Bago Region’s Pyay township; Hanlin in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo township; and Beikthano in Magwe Region’s Taungdwingyi township.

Those were recognised by UNESCO for their unique historical and cultural status on 22 June.

The cities, which date back to the period 200 BC to 900 AD, are the first sites in Myanmar to be inscribed on the UNESCO list.

Hotels and Tourism Minister U Htay Aung told local press that the new sites could help to boost tourism.

“I would appeal to travel agents, worldwide, to add them in to their trip plans for the coming season.”

Remains of the palace citadels, brick Buddhist stupas and burial grounds at the sites currently draw around 60,000 local and foreign visitors every year.

Officials are now campaigning for Myanmar’s better-known ancient city of Bagan, home to a sprawling complex of Buddhist temples, to join the Pyu cities on the UNESCO list.

Bagan’s temples, some of which are around 1,000 years old, are one of the country’s most treasured religious sites and a top attraction for foreign tourists flocking to Myanmar.

However, the Pyu sites identified by UNESCO are far from ready to cater to international visitors. Some tour operators raised concerns about transportation and said there was not enough detailed information on what tourist-friendly infrastructures exists to allow them to make intelligent decisions on when and how to package the attractions in tour programmes.

Shan Yoma Travel and Tours managing director, U Hla Aye, said: “At the moment, I don’t know what road conditions are like on the route to Beikthano and Hanlin. We can’t just prepare the trips without knowing the situation in detail.”

He also suggested that the tourism ministry and industry bodies should assist tour operators to gain information on transport, itineraries and hotels, do’s and don’t’s in the region before the agents can prepare the trip plan.

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Domestic Terminal of Yangon International Airport to be upgrade

Myanmar has approved the plan to upgrade the domestic terminal at Yangon International Airport, to boost capacity from 2.7 million passengers to 6 million a year.

According to the Department for Civil Aviation, the government’s economic committee, chaired by President Thein Sein, recently approved the upgrade of Yangon International Airport. The economic committee has representatives from 15 ministries. Department for Civil Aviation general director, Tin Naing Tun, said the department has received the economic committee’s approval for the upgrade. 

According to the upgrade plan, the domestic terminal will be demolished and replaced by a new terminal in 18 months. Meanwhile, the airport’s VIP hall will be used as a domestic terminal during the construction period. The international terminal will remain unchanged. Pioneer Aerodrome Services, a subsidiary of Myanmar’s conglomerate Asia World, was selected for the upgrade. 

Yangon International Airport is the main international gateway, although Mandalay has seen a big increase in airline traffic. International arrivals increased from 1.6 million tourists in 2009 to 3.08 million tourists in 2012, according Yangon airport data. The international terminal opened in May 2007 and handles 1.4 million passengers, while the domestic terminal handled 1.3 million passengers last year. To help ease the congestion at this airport, Myanmar is also planning to build a new international airport in Hantharwady, which is expected to start operations in 2017. The Hantharwady International Airport will be located at Bago is 80 km from Yangon.

This will provide an easier access for tourists to travel within Myanmar and avoid the overloading situation in the high travel season.

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Myanmar to upgrade domestic airports

Department of Civil Aviation says it will issue a tender in the last quarter of this year to invite local and foreign companies to invest in 39 underdeveloped domestic airports.

The Irrawaddy oneline newspaper first reported on the proposed tenders,  in November, last year, saying the DCA had called on companies to register their interest and proposals to rebuild and improve 30 of Myanmar’s 69 domestic airports.

The process, which was completed last January, was not a formal bidding process, but served to inform the government agency of the interest and plans of potential airport developers.

DCA general director Tin Naing Tun, was quoted as saying that many companies had registered their interest, but they were mostly local companies.

“Some companies are proposing that they can upgrade all domestic airports… but they should only indicate the specific airports that they will actually upgrade,” he said.

DCA confirmed, Wednesday, it will now issue a formal tender inviting companies to bid for contracts to develop the 39 airports some time “after the rainy season,” in October.

“We will hold more discussions and allow companies to make bids on the tender later this year,” he said.

Earlier, the DCA hoped to attract international corporations as partners to fast track improvements and give the country a top quality network of airports.

At that level, the response has not been promising. Very few international companies will make a commitment to take on an entire network when only a few airports are considered profitable.

According to the department, the government currently spends about US$12 million annually to maintain 69 domestic airports.

The government hopes the plan to outsource airports will help develop the country’s aviation industry and airport capacity. Air safety has become a particular concern after a number of accidents occurred at local airports in 2012 and 2013.

The country’s aviation industry is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, as estimates suggest foreign tourist arrivals will rise dramatically from 4.2 million in 2013 to 30 million in 2030. (Tourism master plan forecasts).

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Myanmar provide emergency healthcare services

Shwe Zanaka Company will provide emergency healthcare services for tourists visiting Kyaikto, Mon State effective 1 April and will expand the service ultimately to other popular tourist sites in Myanmar.

The company will cooperate with ambulance services, the Ministry of Health and local hospitals to offer medical services for foreign visitors.

The project is endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism.

The company representative, Dr Myint Lwin, told local media that the company has opened a clinic in Kyaikto to give emergency healthcare services.

Thousands of local and foreign tourists visit the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Kyaikto every year, but the town lacks sufficient hospitals and clinics to provide emergency healthcare.

“If an emergency arises while visiting the pagoda, we will treat them immediately at the location. If we can treat the patient at the clinic, we will do it, but if the person needs to be admitted to hospital, we will contact the public hospitals in Mawlamyine and Thaton. We can also transport the patient to the hospital.”

Tourists visiting Myanmar are advised to take out full medical insurance that includes an evacuation option if needed to neighouring countries such as Thailand. But if visitors fall sick without adequate insurance, Shwe Zanaka’s new service could be a life-saver.

To gain full support, Shwe Zanaka Company has contacted social organisations and ambulance services to provide an emergency service. It hopes to work closely with local travel companies in Myanmar to provide back-up emergency services for their clients.

It will also implement a tele-medicine system to offer media treatment consultations via the internet or the telephone for patients who need medical care while in remote locations such as mountains.

“We have installed C-band satellites in Yangon and Kyaikto in order for us to provide emergency healthcare advice. The services are not free but they will be moderately prices.”

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Hotels Plan To Expand To Myanmar Market

With tourism on the rise in Myanmar, hotels are all rushing to expand their existing property or to open new ones.

300,000 visitors in 2010, one million tourists in 2012, two million last year and most probably three million in 2014. By adding a million foreign visitors, the country is in desperate need for more accommodation for visitors.

A huge number of visitors to Myanmar are attracted by its spiritual sites

The Myanmar Investment Commission granted  last year permission for about $US2 billion of investment into hotels and tourism-related projects. It is a matter of urgency as the country targets to welcome 7.5 million foreign arrivals by 2020. It has been a welcome step especially as it follows last year the complete lifting of economic sanctions imposed before by the USA and the European Union.

Myanmar has for now slightly over 9,000 hotel rooms in Yangon including 1,800 from hotel chains, according to Jones Lang LaSalle consulting firm.  Due to sanctions, JLL estimates that only 17% of available rooms in the former capital city are represented by international brand chains. According to a report from the consulting cabinet released last year, the total number of hotel rooms in Yangon is due to reach 8,100 international standard rooms by 2018. Last year, close to 1,000 rooms were underconstruction while in 2014, Yangon should see the addition of another 400 rooms.

Global hotel chains are now in urgent expansion mode. Accor Asia Pacific will open in July the Novotel Yangon MAX followed by a Pullman hotel in 2015. The 300-room property will be the first of Pullman property in Myanmar. Accor will also operate the 100-room Sebel Yangon Myat Min -a premium serviced apartment. Outside the former capital city, Accor is due to open this year the 121-room Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min, located on the banks of Inle Lake as weak as a MGallery in Nay Pyi Daw and the Novotel Mandalay Mingalar. Peninsula Hotels has secured a property to refurbish, the beautiful historical headquarters of Burmese Railways, built by the British in 1877.

Best Western opened its first property last autumn, the 189-room Green Hill Hotel. Best Western got now a contract for a property in Nay Pyi Daw. Hilton signed last year the management of a 300-room hotel property while Pan Pacific entered a joint venture to build a 25-storey 348-room property. Shangri La is one of the international companies with the biggest presence in Myanmar to-date. The group operates the Trader’s Hotel and just opened Shangri La Residences late last year. A large Shangri La property in Yangon is due to be added by 2016.

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Approval for Yangon's hotels

Ministry of Tourism and Hotels says the government has granted approval for about 250 hotels with more than 20,000 additional rooms in the Yangon region.

Yangon Region Minister for Hotels and Tourism, U Soe Min, told local media that the approvals are on top of the current 190 licensed hotels that have more than 9,000 rooms.

“As tourist arrivals increase, more hotels are needed and some hotels are expanding…new projects have already opened and more are under construction.”

Myanmar Hoteliers Association secretary, U Pyae Phyo Tun, added that the surge in applications to open new hotels in Yangon was driven by the local business community.

“Many Myanmar business people are opening hotels with 50 to 60 rooms, which can be built relatively quickly. These hotels will be essential for Myanmar this year because it is hosting hundreds of ASEAN meetings.”

The hotels association chairperson, Zaw Htay Aung, said many popular destinations still lacked enough hotels to accommodate tourists during the high season between November and February.

“Inlay region, famous for its scenic lake and countryside, is one area that still struggles to accommodate growing numbers of visitors.”

He said: “Construction of new hotels is moving forward, but we are still short of rooms. It is not so acute as last year. There are more rooms now, although demand is much higher than the supply.”

The numbers of tourists has doubled annually since 2011 when Myanmar began a series of reforms that saw sanctions lifted after years of military misrule and isolation.

Following a boom in hotel construction, Inlay region currently has 73 hotels, including 2,031 rooms, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Since 2010, the tourism industry grown fast, but hotel rates have also sky rocketed from around US$30 to US$190 a night at the top-end of the market.

According to the latest data released by the Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, there are 826 licensed hotels with 29,999 rooms across the country.

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Shwedagon Pagoda changes to local currency

Shwedagon Pagoda’s board of trustees says it will change the currency from US dollar to Kyat for entrance fees to make it more convenient for tourists.

The move will also end the hassle of accepting old US dollar notes. Many tourists pay the entrance fees, with old or torn dollars that are later rejected by the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank.

It is a standing practice to always obtain fresh new US dollar notes when visiting Myanmar to avoid that problem. However, the trustees said fee collectors were reluctant to upset tourists or cause delays at the temple entrances, when they presented old bills.

MFTB bank officials also recommended the change to kyat.

At present, the entrance fee for tourists is US$8, up from US$5; it was raised to US$8 last December.

As of 1 April, the official fee will be 8,000 kyat.

On average, more than 1,000 tourists a day visit Shwedagon Pagoda. Last year, it attracted 400,852 visitors representing an increase of 47.92% compared to over 271,000 visitors in 2012.

The pagoda’s board of trustees collected entrance fees of over US$204,000 and 1.5 million in other currencies since 2008.

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New Aircrafts purchase by Myanmar Airways

Myanmar’s national airline has signed a contract with US firm GE Capital to lease 10 Boeing aircraft worth nearly a billion dollars in a major makeover for the largely domestic airline.

US ambassador to Myanmar Derek Mitchell described the agreement as the “largest commercial sale” by a US company to Myanmar in decades.

Under the agreement, state-owned Myanmar Airways will lease 10 new Boeing 737 planes from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), the commercial leasing and financing arm of US giant General Electric.

Delivery of the planes is scheduled to begin in June 2015.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow, Asia’s biggest aerospace and defense show.

“The contract calls for six Boeing 737-800 models and four Boeing 737-MAX models. The aircraft will deliver through 2020,” GECAS said in a statement.

The planes are valued at US$960 million at list prices.

It will be a major makeover for state-owned Myanmar Air, which was established in 1948 and currently operates domestic services using Fokker F28 jets and ATR turboprops.

For flights to smaller domestic airports, Myanmar Airways uses Beechcraft and Cessna planes.

As the sole state-owned airline it takes a stake in other airlines that offer services in Myanmar such as Myanmar International Airlines, the airline that offers the most international services.

Myanmar Airways safety record is poor and tour operators are reluctant to use its services due alleged low standards of aircraft maintenance and service.

However, that might change with the introduction of newer and bigger aircraft.

“We are pleased at GE to work with Myanmar Airways to provide new, state-of-the-art Boeing aircraft,” Norman Liu, president and chief executive of GECAS, said in a statement.

“This is an important milestone for the airline and for the development of Myanmar’s aviation industry.”

Myanmar Transportation Minister Nyan Htun Aung said the new Boeing planes would be used to expand the carrier’s routes to East Japan and South Korea.

The carrier’s sole international destination currently is Gaya in India, which is important for Buddhist pilgrims.

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Kyet Cave in Myanmar to be preserved

Myanmar’s Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry says its famous Kyet Cave, located between Loikaw and Shadaw in Kayah State, has been designated a national protected park area.

The conservation area will cover 166 acres and include Kyet Cave, situated 9 miles away from Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State.

The state government has organised a committee to improve access and facilities such as paving the road that leads to the cave, building shelters for travellers as well as installing lighting and water.

The 1,700 foot-deep cave is also called “Yarsu Ku” (Yarsu means gunpowder and Ku means hole) as people used to collect bat-droppings found here to produce gunpowder for fireworks.

The cave is one of the natural wonders of the area and can be explored with guides to explain the formations. It is open to visitors 0900 to 1500. The cave has a reputation as a place where ghosts are present, probably due to the presence of 4 to 18 foot-long coffins apparently placed there by rich people who insisted on being buried with their possessions.

The cave is regarded as a special geological zone and the natural environment around it is protected.

Kayah State is now mostly open for visitors, although certain areas are still out of bounds due to the risks that a ceasefire between government forces and ethnic armed groups could be broken without warning.

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Easier Myanmar's Passports

Myanmar recently opened passport offices in 15 regions and states in addition to the existing offices in Yangon and Mandalay.

The government’s official media, New Light of Myanmar, reported new offices opened in Hpa-An, Kayin State 2 January on the premises of the Police Special Branch.

Passport offices have also been set up in 15 regions and states, the report said.

The new centre will cut the cost of applying for a passport as previously citizens living in the provinces had to travel to Yangon or Mandalay to obtain a passport. The Mandalay passport office opened last July.

An eligible citizen can get a passport within two weeks instead of 21 days in the past. It costs US$25.

In the past, obtaining or renewing a passport was a complex procedure and many applications were arbitrarily rejected.

The actual passport is only five pages down from a previous 14 pages. Officials claimed they reduced the pages to speed up the process without explaining how a smaller passport accomplished that feat.

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Easy Visa Between Myanmar and Cambodia

The visa exemption agreement was signed by Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Tin Oo Lwin and Cambodian Ambassador to Myanmar Sieng Burvuthin.

Myanmar and Cambodia have agreed on mutual visa exemption for ordinary passport holders to simplify the procedures of citizens’ travelling and strengthening existing friendly ties.

The agreement was signed by Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Tin Oo Lwin and Cambodian Ambassador to Myanmar Sieng Burvuthin.

Earlier, Myanmar Airways International (MAI) opened an air route between Yangon city and the Cambodia ancient city of Siem Reap in February 2011. The service was extended to reach the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh in November that year, helping foster the two countries’ links in tourism, culture, trade and investment.

In another development, Myanmar’s House of Representatives Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann will lead a delegation to Cambodia from December 19-22 to beef up bilateral ties.

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Myanmar Agrees On Commercial Flights

Myanmar has updated its aviation agreements with South Korea and Bangladesh to open the way for commercial flights.

The respective civil aviation departments of Myanmar, South Korea and Bangladesh amended aviation contracts and updated clauses that were outdated. Most of Myanmar’s aviation agreements date back to the close of World War II and in many instances were not updated.

The country Civil Aviation Department general director, Tin Naing Tun, was quoted by local media as saying: “We had to cancel clauses that were not suitable in the present situation.”

In the new agreements airlines of Bangladesh and South Korea can apply for traffic rights at multiple destinations rather than just Yangon.

Myanmar International Airway and Air Bagan both have secured rights to fly to Bangladesh last year.

Due to the changes in the aviation contract with Korea, KAL and Asiana Airlines can now fly to cities in Myanmar.

Myanmar has aviation agreements with 46 countries and the ones with Europe and, United States were the most liberal dating back to air transport agreements signed in 1949. They basically gave airlines from the US and UK freedom to fly as many services as they liked. The option was never taken up as the country closed and sanctions were introduced to prevent airlines serving the country.

As a member of ASEAN, the country will have to adopt an “Open Skies Policy” in 2015, which will allow ASEAN registered airlines greater access to Myanmar’s skies – and ultimately allow them to serve domestic routes. The policy will be limited to international services to major cities designated by each country leaving the domestic options to much later.

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MasterCard Acceptance for Myanmar

One of the leading national banks and newest MasterCard licensee in Myanmar, Asia Green Development Bank Limited, is now accepting MasterCard payments cards for cash withdrawals at its ATMs throughout the country.

The move is timely given the upcoming 27th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) which will be held in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, from 11 to 22 December 2013.

AGDBank, which is also headquartered in Naypyidaw, has 34 branches and operates 69 ATMs across the country in states such as Yangon, Naypyidaw and Mandalay.

With AGDBank ATM acceptance, this brings the number of active ATM's in Myanmar that accept MasterCard and Maestro/Cirrus cards to over 275 ATMs.

“We are certainly pleased to announce that AGDBank is ready to accept MasterCard and Maestro/Cirrus cards for ATM cash withdrawals despite being licensed a little over two months ago. Our team of staff has been working tirelessly and very closely with MasterCard to ensure that the ATM acceptance is smooth and compliant with MasterCard’s stringent requirements,” said Mr. Than Ye, Chairman of AGDBank.

MasterCard first issued a license to a Myanmar bank in September last year, and just last month, the country witnessed the launch of its first prepaid card in the country, made available to Myanmar residents for when they travel outside of the country.

“While the economy of Myanmar is almost 100% cash-driven, we are seeing changes happen almost every single day, and each one is a step in the right direction towards driving financial inclusion, reducing the usage of cash, and ultimately driving e-commerce and mobile payments usage. This is possible given the many capable bank partners that we work with, including AGDBank,” said Mr. Antonio Corro, country manager, Thailand and Myanmar, MasterCard.

MasterCard is already accepted for payments at more than 500 restaurants, retail outlets and hotels in Myanmar, ahead of the expected year-end target as reported earlier this year, following the rollout of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals in March.

As of 13 November 2013, MasterCard has nine partners in Myanmar (eight Financial Institutions & one Finance Company): Co-Operative Bank Ltd; Kanbawza Bank Ltd; United Amara Bank Ltd; Myanma Apex Bank Ltd; Myanmar Citizens Bank Ltd; Myanmar Oriental Bank Ltd; Ayeyarwady Bank Ltd; Asia Green Development Bank Ltd; and Ryuji Finance Company Ltd. 

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Positive number of Myanmar Tourism

Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism reports tourist arrivals increased 83% since October 2010.

According to the announcement, there were about 800,000 tourist arrivals in 2010 and more than 1.5 million tourists by October this year. The count covered tourist arrivals at Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Nay Pyi Taw and overland border checkpoints.

The country could reach 1.9 million this year, or even touch the 2 million mark, although Yangon has been beset by security scares after two bomb blasts in the capital last month.

The ministry’s director, Hlaing Oo, explained the dramatic increase in tourist arrivals to local press, earlier this week, adding that the way forward was promising.

More airlines are due to fly to tourist destination in the country and more overland checkpoints will be upgraded to allow international visitors to enter the country, he reported.

Last August, Myanmar opened four entry and exit gates on the Myanmar-Thai border, namely Tachileik- Maesai, Myawaddy-Maesot, Tiki-Sunarong and Kawthoung-Ranong.

The country is planning to upgrade the Muse border point with China’s Ruili district as an international checkpoint to boost travel from China.

Thailand is Myanmar’s leading travel supplier, followed by Japan, China, South Korea, and Malaysia. Most tourists visiting from Europe come from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Thais travel to Myanmar for both business and leisure. Buddhist pilgrimage visits are popular, but business related visits are also very high as Thailand is a leading investor along with China, Japan and South Korea.

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism forecasts 2 million tourists will visit Myanmar this year.

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Special Air Promotion From Nok Air

Nok Air sells a Bt990 fare for travel to points in Myanmar and some destinations in Thailand.

The one-way fare, inclusive of airport taxes and surcharges, applies to routes departing Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Myanmar’s Yangon and from Mae Sot to Mawlamyine or Yangon.

The same Bt990 fare has been pegged for flights to Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani in Northeast Thailand and Phitsanulok in the upper central region of the country.

Passengers can book the fare up to 27 November for travel 21 December to 25 October 2014.

The ticket can be booked at www.nokfanclub.com, www.nokair.com, m.nokair.com (mobile website) iOS application (iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch Application) and Andriod application.

The fare saves around 70% off standard fares, but Nok Air of late has been pushing out promotional fares of around Bt1,200 to Bt1,400 on most domestic routes.

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Myanmar Visa Exemption To Be Speeded

Myanmar’s government says it hopes to secure bilateral visa exemption agreements with all ASEAN member countries by the end of this year to enable citizens to enjoy visa-free travel for up to 14 days.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy chief administrator, U Sein Oo, was quoted by local media as saying agreements were needed to enable as many people as possible to attend the Southeast Asian Games that will be held mid-December.

However, with just four weeks to go it will be difficult to reach that goal. The Thai premier is expected to sign a bilateral agreement during her official visit linked to  the opening of the Games.

The country already has vias-free travel privileges with Vietnam.

“The government wants to have visa-free travel for all ASEAN nations in 2014, when Myanmar will chair the 10-nation group,” he said.

Yet some countries are still working on the terms, while Singapore and Brunei have not yet responded to proposals according to reliable sources in Yangon.

Agreements with Laos and Indonesia are already at the stage of signing and could be firmed up by the start of the Games. That would leave agreements with Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines and Cambodia still to negotiate.

The Union Myanmar Travel Association representative, U Naung Naung Han, said visa-free travel would present a substantial business opportunity for both inbound and outbound travel.

On 22 October, the Thai Cabinet approved a draft agreement on visa exemption but it still needs to be signed by the two premiers.

Once the bilateral accord is signed the visa exemption will apply to departures and arrivals at 23 airports in Thailand.

The airports are: Suvarnabhumi; Don Mueang; Chiang Mai; Chiang Rai; Hat Yai; Phuket; Nan; Phitsanulok; Mae Sot; Mae Hong Son; Khon Kaen; Nakhon Ratchasima; Udon Thani; Ubon Ratchathani; Krabi; Trang; Narathiwat; Ranong; Surat Thani; Hua Hin; Samui; Sukhothai; and U-tapao.

The agreement could also be suspended for security and public health reasons by informing the other country at least 15 days in advance. It can be annulled by either country through a notice presented through diplomatic channels at least 60 days in advance.

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Multicurrency Travel Prepaid Card To Be Launched In Myanmar

Myanmar banks and Visa is cooperating to launch a Multicurrency Travel Prepaid card for Myanmar cardholders to use when traveling overseas.

 The Visa Multicurrency Travel Prepaid card will allow cardholders to load up to three currencies (Euro, US$, Sin$) onto a single card.

Designed to meet the needs of the growing segment of Myanmar nationals who are traveling abroad in record numbers, the card can be used for overseas transactions anywhere Visa is accepted - at tens of millions of merchants, either online or in-store, as well as to withdraw cash at 2 million ATMs worldwide.

Mr. Somboon Krobteeranon, Visa Country Manager, Myanmar and Thailand, said, “This progress is the result of the vision and partnership between Myanmar banks and Visa to modernize payments for the people of Myanmar. In the past year we’ve seen tremendous growth in the development of the local banking sector and we believe the potential remains high for Myanmar to leapfrog traditional payment systems and develop a financially inclusive infrastructure that will benefit the whole country.

Since December 2012 when Visa’s payment system was introduced in the country, transactions on Visa cards by tourists, inclusive of ATM withdrawals, have accounted for US$15 million. Today in Myanmar, Visa cardholders can withdraw cash from more than 250 ATMs, and make payments at more than 600 retail points across the country.

Features of the Visa Multicurrency Travel Prepaid Card include:

- Ability to Lock in Exchange Rate before Travel: Avoid fluctuating exchange rates with the card by locking in foreign currency exchange rates before you travel.

 - Multicurrency Capabilities: With the Visa Multicurrency Travel Prepaid card, travelers can leave their cash at home and load up to three different currencies (Euro, US$, Sin$) on a single card.

- Safer than Cash: The Visa Multicurrency Travel Prepaid card is a secure way for Myanmar nationals to carry their funds when travelling abroad for business, holiday or education. Cardholders can load up to US$ 5,000. It is a reloadable card with Chip and PIN protection. The cardholder’s signature is required to make purchases and a PIN is required when withdrawing cash from ATMs.

- Better Manage Personal Expenses: The Visa Multicurrency Travel Prepaid card is also a good way to manage spending because cardholders can easily keep track of their load balances, view transaction details and statements online.

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