THE Myanmar Marketing Committee of the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board has organised two events in Japan this month aimed at attracting more visitors to Myanmar.

They follow the success of a similar event in New Delhi on April 30.
The events in Japan are being co-sponsored by the MMC and the national flag carrier, Myanmar Airways International. About 25 hotels and travel agencies are participating in the events, to be held in Osaka on May 11 and Tokyo on May 13.
The hotels include the Nikko Royal Lake, Dusit Inya Lake, Traders, Sedona and the Strand.

Thai Airways International is supporting the promotions by providing discounted fares for the delegation travelling to Japan.

MAI sales executive Ma Winn Minn Khine said the airline’s office in Tokyo had invited Japanese travel agents and travel writers to attend the events.

It was also arranging visas for travel agents who intend to attend the promotions.
The general manager of the Hotel Nikko Royal Lake, Mr Takashi Kondo, who is co-ordinating the events, said they were each expected to be attended by about 100 people.

“Myanmar is not well known in Japan [as a travel destination]. Going there and meeting these people will help to spread information about Myanmar,” said Mr Kondo.

He said the promotions would feature a presentation about Myanmar followed by workshops which would enable Myanmar travel agents and hotels to negotiate travel packages with their Japanese counterparts.

The general manager of the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, Mr Jehan Wickremesooriya, who is also a member of the MMC executive committee, said the event in New Delhi had attracted 117 travel agents and travel writers.

“The response was quite good,” he said.
The event had promoted a six-day, five-night travel package at a discounted price which had been fully booked, said Mr Wickremesooriya. The package includes visits to Yangon, Mandalay and Inle Lake. The president of the SM Tours and Transport Co. Ltd., U Maung Maung Swe, who participated in the New Delhi event and is travelling to Japan, said it was too early to say how much business would be generated by the promotions in Osaka and Tokyo.

He welcomed the decisions to hold the promotions in India and Japan, saying that creating greater awareness about Myanmar would eventually bring benefits to the travel industry.

The MMC is planning to hold promotional events in Singapore and Malaysia at the end of May.