Myanmar to offer visa on arrival to Chinese, Indian tourists

By AFP September 15, 2023 | 05:24 pm PT

A tourist in Yangon, Myanmar, January 29, 2013. Photo by Reuters

Myanmar will offer visas on arrival to Chinese and Indian tourists, state media reported, as the ruling junta seeks to lure back foreign visitors and their cash.

A start date for the one-year trial scheme "will be announced soon", the Global New Light of Myanmar reported, citing the junta's immigration ministry.

Holders of the visas will be "allowed to visit all sites apart from restricted areas for security concerns", said the report in Thursday's newspaper.

Currently citizens of both countries must apply for a tourist visa online, or at a Myanmar embassy.

Earlier this month the national carrier began direct flights to Russia's Novosibirsk, and the junta has said it is working to allow the use of Russia's Mir cards for direct payments.

Myanmar opened up to tourists in 2011 following decades of military rule, becoming popular with travelers.