YANGON: Myanmar will start granting visa-free entry to tourists from Japan and South Korea in October to attract more visitors from Asia. According to the notification, tourists from the three countries will be required to possess at least $1,000 in cash. Kyaw Min Htin, joint secretary general of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, said granting visa-free entry to Japanese visitors is well-timed and good for development of Myanmar's tourism industry as their interest in Myanmar is increasing. According to the ministry's data, the number of Japanese visitors to the Southeast Asian country, including those on business trip and for other purposes, has steadily increased in recent years, topping the 100,000 mark in 2016. In 2017, nearly 101,500 Japanese visited Myanmar, up 0.7% year-on-year, ranking third by nationality after Thais and Chinese and accounting for 7.5% of the 1.36 million visitors in total.

Source: Bangkok Post August 01, 2018 05:26 UTC