More than 3,000 tourists visited the 25,600-acre Moeyungyi Wildlife Sanctuary and Wetlands at the start of the tourist season in early November.
As migratory birds from the North Pole flock to Myanmar to spend winter every year, water birds are seen staying in the Moeyungyi wetlands while tourists visited the area in the tourist season. More than 2,800 tourists visited the area each day in April and May. Although the number of tourists declined in August and October, more than 3,000 tourists visited the wetlands in early November which is also the start of the tourist season.
“There were 405 visitors in August and 970 in October. As it increased to more than 3,000 tourists in November, we could say that more visitors have visited the Moeyungyi since October, and more tourists would come in during the tourist season,” said the in-charge of the Moeyungyi Wildlife Sanctuary and Wetlands.
As more wintering birds have arrived compared to the last month, crane birds are also seen now in the Moeyungyi Sanctuary and Wetlands. It is expected to be more touristy in December than last month as it is a popular holiday period for tourists and bird watchers. With the attention to the prevention and control of COVID-19 disease, it will be more possible to predict the fluctuation of tourism at the beginning of the year, according to the person in charge of the wetlands.
This winter, migratory birds have been arriving in the Moeyungyi wetlands earlier than last year since the end of October and more water birds continued to enter in November. In the last winter, about 40 species of migratory birds spent winter in the area, and about 26 species of them are beginning to arrive this November.
The Moeyungyi Wildlife Sanctuary and Wetlands is the first Ramsar Site in Myanmar. It also received international recognition in 2014 as the Flyway Network Site of the East Asia-Australia Joint Aviation Conservation Group (EAAFP). It is a bird sanctuary, conserving endangered bird species. The Department of Forest is working to ensure the long-term sustainability of the forest and the sustainability of local livelihoods. — Nyein Thu(MNA)/GNLM
