Over 162K tourists visit Great Kyaiktiyo Pagoda January-July 2023

The board of trustees of the Great Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Mon State stated that 4,638 foreign tourists and 157,574 domestic tourists visited the pagoda from January to July this year.
According to the list of the board of trustees, the pagoda accepted 450,000 visitors in the last pilgrimage season, although hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit each year. The period for the festival of the Great Kyaiktiyo Pagoda was set for seven months, starting on the full moon day of Thadingyut till the full moon day of Kason (Buddha day), and pilgrims are allowed to visit throughout the year.
Visitors are entering from the country and abroad during the festival season, especially from neighbouring Thailand. As part of the rainy season special promotion, the Yoe Yoe Lay Express will provide the Kyaikto-Yangon-Kyaikto trip three times a day for free for the convenience of transportation for those who visit Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, saving the cost of the pilgrimage for visitors.
Although it is a rainy season, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and stalls near the square of the pagoda are open as usual, and truck services are also running regularly for devotees. — TWA/CT