The ministry only introduced the dollar admission fee in January of this year. The switch to dollars caused multiple problems with the most important being a complaint from the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank that a large proportion of the dollar bills were damaged or torn.
The dollar-based entry fees also led to other businesses charging for their services or products in dollars. This had a knock-on effect of devaluing the kyat. The switch back to kyat is in line with the Foreign Trade Bank’s policy of encouraging the use of domestic currency.
Bagan’s collection of 2,200 temples and pagodas date from as long ago as the ninth century. Figures for the 12-month period to 31 March 2015 show that in excess of 240,000 tourists visited.
Bagan historical park reverts to kyat for entry fees
News in Asia
Myanmar’s Ministry of Culture has released a statement saying entry fees for Bagan Archaeological Zone will be payable in kyat with effect from 1 November 2015. The fee has been set at MMK25,000 which at today’s exchange rate is marginally higher than the US$20 tourists pay to enter now.