Shwedagon Pagoda to charge tourists with kyats instead of U.S. dollars

The Shwedagon Pagoda board of trustees says it will charge tourists with Myanmar currency instead of U.S dollars for the entry fee.

The change from the dollar to the kyat is meant to be convenient for tourists, guides and the board of trustees. When tourists pay entrance fees, they often pay using old or torn dollars that are denied by the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank.

When the pagoda board of trustees put the cash into the MFTB, the Bank suggested that accepting entrance fees in Myanmar currency would be better. And so, the entrance fees are to be collected as kyat.

At present, the entrance fee for tourists is US$ 8. As of April 1, Ks 8,000 will be collected. (Previously, the tourist entrance fee was US$ 5; it was raised to US$ 8 before the end of 2013.

On average, more than 1,000 tourists per day visit Shwedagon Pagoda.

source: Eleven Myanmar

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