Myanmar to allow visa-free entry for Japanese, Korean tourists
Myanmar will start granting visa-free entry to tourists from Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) in October to attract more visitors from Asia, according to Japan's Kyodo News.
Hanoi (VNA) - Myanmar will start granting visa-free entry to tourists fromJapan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) in October to attract more visitors fromAsia, according to Japan's Kyodo News.
The Myanmar government will also ease visa requirements for tourist groups fromChina, including Hong Kong and Macau, seeing potential for growth in the numberof visitors from the three Asian nations, Myo Win Nyunt, an official of theMinistry of Hotels and Tourism.
The visa relaxation will begin on October 1 for a one-year trial. Accordingly, Japaneseand RoK travellers will be allowed visa-free entry by air and land, whiletourist groups from China will be able to enter with a visa on arrival at a feeof 50 USD per person at airports in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw.
According to the ministry’s notice, tourists from the three countries will berequired to possess at least 1,000 USD in cash. But the ministry is consideringaccepting credit cards or other means to check their financial standing, MyoWin Nyunt said.
The Myanmar Tourism Federation expects 50 percent growth in the number ofJapanese visitors after the visa relaxation comes into effect. Accordingto the ministry's data, the number of Japanese visitors to the Southeast Asiancountry, including those on business trip and for other purposes, has steadilyincreased in recent years, topping the 100,000 mark in 2016.
🧸 In 2017, nearly 101,500 Japanese visited Myanmar, up 0.7 percent against theprevious year, ranking third by nationality after Thais and Chinese andaccounting for 7.5 percent of the 1.36 million visitors to Myanmar. Visitorsfrom Asian countries accounted for 70 percent of the total.-VNA
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A tourism site in Myanmar (Photo: VNA) 
