Outbound travel soars in Myanmar

 "The outbound tourism market is really booming," said U Hein Thant, Sales and Reservation Manager from Sun Far Travel and Tours in Yangon. The vast majority are travelling to major destinations in Thailand, such as Bangkok, Chang Mai and Phuket, for business, leisure, shopping and medical treatment. Other Southeast Asian nations including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia are also very popular. However, U Hein cites tight visa restrictions most countries place on travellers from Myanmar and the lack of direct air links to all ASEAN countries, as major inhibitors to growth.

International travel has been made possible by the rapid appreciation of the national currency, Kyat, which rose 30% against the dollar in 2011. U Lynn Zaw Wai Mang, Executive Director of Unique Asia Travels and Tours, said the market was growing "quite fast" as a result. "Demand is growing up to 35% a year. Last year demand was very high because of the exchange rate, which made travel inside Myanmar almost as expensive as going abroad. People are also starting to think more about going abroad for knowledge, experience and business," he said.