Beautiful hand painting attracts more visitors in Bagan cultural zone

The majority of the pilgrims to Bagan cultural heritage zone, NyaungU Township are having temporary hand tattoo done at the shops opened in the pagoda precinct, allowing the hand painters to earn a handsome profit, said Daw Khaing Zar Tun, a painter at Shwezigon Pagoda.
Bagan cultural heritage zone, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was eerily empty due to the tight restriction period of the COVID-19. It was reopened starting from 8 February 2021, in accordance with the health guidelines for the COVID-19, NyaungU Township Administration Body stated.
The local tourism industry is battered by COVID-19 and it was two year that those engaged in local transportation rental business (tuk-tuk, boat, horse-riding, car, e-bike, cycle, motorcycle), hotels and guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops suffered from this.
Starting from Thadingyut Festival this year, the number of visitors to Bagan cultural zone is gradually growing. Those pilgrimages can revive the small businesses relying on tourism in Bagan.
The maximum price of hand painting costs K5,000 per hand. It last one day to a week depending on the quality of paint.
This hand painting business is another job opportunity for local residents in NyaungU Township, Ma Pan Myat Hla, a hand painter at Shwezigon pagoda.— Ko Htain KPD/GNLM