Yangon river cruise services boom in Myanmar

The Yangon river cruise services which is one of the privatized sectors in Myanmar have boomed as local businessmen are interested in making investments in Myanmar' s tourist potential, official media reported Thursday. The number of tourists enjoying sightseeing tour is on the rise, said the New Light of Myanmar. The river cruise service allows visitors to celebrate birthday party and other special celebrations on the luxury boat. A sightseeing cruise tour is priced at over five U.S. dollars per local and 20 dollars per tourist and the price may vary depending on the types of cruises. Myanmar Port Authority is upgrading the Wadan jetty where private-owned cruises are allowed to dock. There are six cruises offering sightseeing tours along Yangon river. It is also planned that cruise services are to be operated along Ayeyawady River. The number of tourist arrival is expected to rise this year as many foreign visitors are destined to Myanmar for attending ASEAN- related summits to be hosted by Myanmar during its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2014. Last year, Myanmar attracted over 2 million tourists, of whom 1. 14 million entered through border gates and 885,476 through airports. Myanmar targets 3 million tourist arrival in 2014.