Central Committee meeting: Cntrl Comm. on National Tourism Development held meeting

The Central Committee on National Tourism Development held a meeting (2/2023) at the Jade Hallof the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism in Nay Pyi Taw in the afternoon on December 6.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Central Committee Deputy Prime Minister Union Minister for Transport and Communications General Mya Tun Oo, Central Committee members Union Ministers, chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council, deputy ministers, departmental officials and the responsible persons from the tourism associations in person and the Chief Ministers of Regions and States through video conferencing.

In his opening speech, the Central Committee Chairman said that this meeting is held to implement the decisions made in the meeting (1/2023) by the Ministry, regions and states governments and the work processes to be accelerated during the tourism season. Tourism industry is constituted with multi sectors and fields such as hotel and guest house industry, airlines, transportations, tourism companies, tourism guides, restaurant and entertainment industries.

According to the statistics of the World Tourism Organization before the COVID-19 pandemic, the income from the tourism industry stood at 10% of the World’s GDP, for about 330 million people who directly involve in the industry, the job opportunities could be created, due to the COVID-19 the tourism industry has almost suspended around the world including Myanmar. In Myanmar, the domestic tourism started to increase from October, 2021.

Since 17th April, 2022, the International Airlines were permitted to resume and the tourism e-Visa was granted on 20th May. During 2022, the international tourist arrival was over 230,000 and from January to October, 2023, a total of tourists’ arrival was over one million.

The central committee Chairman also highlighted the necessary matters for the development of tourism industry. Next, Central Committee Vice-Chairman Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism reported on tourism-related matters.

Then, the secretary of central committee Deputy minister for hotel and tourism clarified to record the status of completing implementations of the decisions made in meeting (1/2023), reformation of tourism work committee with the substitution of Chairman and other tasks of the work committee.

Afterword, the central committee members Union Ministers, Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council, Chief Ministers of Regions and States, Deputy Ministers and the representatives from the tourism organizations took part in the discussion.

After reporting the tentative decisions of the meeting by the joint-secretary of the Central Committee Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism, the Central Committee Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Union Minister for Transport and Communications gave a speech of conclusion.