YANGON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- International tourist arrivals to Myanmar surged by about 214 percent in January year on year, according to the country's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism on Tuesday.
The country welcomed 35,722 tourists in January this year, as compared to 11,372 visitors registered in the same period last year, the ministry's figures showed.
In January this year, 17,884 tourists visited Myanmar by air, 89 travelers arrived in the country by cruise and 17,421 entered the country through land border gates, its data showed.
Last year, the Southeast Asian country welcomed a total of 233,487 international tourists.
Myanmar received more than 4.36 million tourists in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourist arrivals in the country sharply dropped to 900,000 in 2020 and 130,000 in 2021, official figures showed. ■