The number of visitors to the Ancient Bagan’s cultural zone has increased this year significantly, mainly due to local tourism, according to travel agencies.
Similarly, more foreign tourists visited this year compared to last year, with Chinese, Russians and Thais leading the increased numbers.
“We expect to receive more visitors in upcoming 2024 travel season. Previously, people used to come only on weekends. On Mondays, Bagan was mostly deserted. But now, we have visitors on Mondays as well as Saturdays and Sundays. The number of visitors has increased again. It is more than that of post-Covid 2021-2022 because we see many visitors even on weekdays without any break,” one agency official said.
A senior officer from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture also said that about half a million local and foreign travellers came to Bagan to enjoy the Thadingyut and Tazaungdine holidays, citing a record of arrivals.
“During these holiday periods, visitor arrivals exceeded the capacity of major hotels in Bagan, and so, it was necessary to arrange for those who did not have a reservation to share accommodations in the monasteries,” the official said.
At the moment, the Shwezigon Pagoda is very crowded, attracting many local and foreign visitors with a traditional religious festival, local food courts and stalls, and fun fairs.
Thit Taw/ZN
