Yangon, 9 January
Arrival of tourists to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon has declined in 2018 when compared to previous year, according to a source from the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees.
The number of tourists from Thailand, South Korea, China and Japan to the holy site for the Buddhists saw a boost last year when compared to foreigners from other countries. Tourist arrivals to the Shwedagon Pagoda in January and February 2018 have decreased by about 9,000 in number compared with the same period in 2017.
Tourist arrival has increased since March 2018 but dropped by about 4,000 in number during the period from July to October. The visitor fees that were collected from the foreigners are being spent on renovation of the Shwedagon Pagoda and religious buildings in its precinct.
More than 550,000 globetrotters visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in 2017, decreasing over 60,000 when compared to 2016.—Kyaw Hsan Myint (IPRD)
Translated by Kyaw Htike Soe
