Burma is hoping to lure 7.5 million tourists a year by 2019, an official said Tuesday, as the impoverished former junta-ruled nation emerges as one of Southeast Asia’s hot destinations.
Travel to the once-cloistered country used to be reserved for the well-heeled and intrepid, prepared to endure the travails of a country under military rule with patchy electricity and limited communications.
But foreign tourists have flocked in since the country began opening up in 2011, with a celebrities such as pop stars Beyonce and Jay Z helping to popularise the message that the country is open for visitors.
This year Burma is on track to welcome 5.5 million tourists, nearly a million more than 2015, Tint Thwin,…