More local tourists take hot-air balloon ride over Bagan thanks to discount

Among the tourists who ride hot-air balloon flights to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the ancient city of Bagan above the sky, the number of local visitors has risen recently.
This is a result of hot-air balloon companies giving discounts on balloon flight prices.
“The hot-air balloon flight price was about K350,000 per person previously, so only foreigners could afford it. But now hot-air balloon companies have offered discount prices at around K250,000-K270,000 per person, that is why the number of local customers is larger than foreign customers,” said U Kyaw Myo Win, director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture (Bagan branch).
Currently, the arrival of visitors from all over Myanmar has mounted in Bagan and of foreign tourists, the majority is from Thailand, followed by Russia.
“At present, the number of local visitors is greater. Thailand is the largest among foreign visitors, and Russia is the second largest. In the past, visitors arrived in Bagan on Friday and visited on Saturday and Sunday, so the city was deserted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This is no longer the case. There are visitors even on weekdays. The city is still vibrant with tourist groups,” said U Kyaw Myo Win.
The arrival of visitors in Bagan started rising in last summer and visibly mounted as of last October Thadingyut period, resulting in a shortage of hotel rooms that even led visitors to stay in monasteries. — MT/ZS