Capital hoteliers address empty rooms

A lack of tourist attractions combined with overly-optimistic developers has left around 80 percent of Nay Pyi Taw hotel rooms empty on any given day. But the chair of a local tourism industry body believes better marketing can help the city improve its visitor numbers. U Than Htut, chair of the Nay Pyi Taw Hotel Entrepreneurs Association said that on average around 1000 of available hotel rooms were occupied every day across the nation’s capital. “Most days it’s about 1000 rooms rented, but it’s not regular,” he said. Sometimes there are only around 300 or 400 occupied hotel rooms across the city, he added. There are three hotel zones in Nay Pyi Taw with almost 50 hotels offering a total of more than 5000 rooms.  But tourists are rare in the capital, where there are few attractions or tourist sites, according to local and international travel agencies.

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