{"id":7086,"date":"2011-09-23T11:29:08","date_gmt":"2011-09-23T04:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exotravel.com\/blog\/?p=7086"},"modified":"2016-01-29T09:20:03","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T09:20:03","slug":"money-tip-myanmar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exotravel.com\/blog\/en\/money-tip-myanmar\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Money is on your US Dollars being as Crisp as Possible for you to Thoroughly Enjoy Myanmar"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019ve made the decision. You\u2019re coming to Myanmar. Good choice! The country is one of the world\u2019s less visited. Here are some numbers for you. In 2010, 791,505 guests visited the country, or in other words, about 66,000 people per month on average. Its neighbor Thailand received 15,936,400 guests, accounting to about 1,328,000 people per month. More people visit Thailand per month than Myanmar in an entire year! But the numbers are already rising. There is already a 4.88% increase in visitors in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, compared to 2009-2010. And this year is not even over yet.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Myanmar is still an exotic country to visit. You will definitely not be disappointed. But it is good to know about the country\u2019s handling of money. It will go a long way into defining your trip and ensuring that your time is not wasted on money that is deemed \u2018worthless\u2019 by the locals. What do we mean? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n

First of all, do not exchange all of your U.S. Dollars. The country actually accepts them, including some of its national currency, <\/a>the Kyat (K). Keep in mind that Myanmar is a cash orientated country, so you may need to carry a little more than what you need, just in case. Many vendors and shops (including hotels) may not accept credit cards and even more do not accept traveler\u2019s cheques.<\/p>\n

If and when you do exchange money, avoid doing so at airports and banks. The going rate there floats around 6K to $1. But outside, you can get better rates (and according to the country\u2019s newspaper, The Irrawaddy, a more accurate exchange), which in 2011, fluctuated anywhere in the 900 to 600 Kyats to a Dollar range.<\/p>\n

You may have heard about the country\u2019s persistence on using crisp U.S. Dollars. The truth cannot be stressed enough. You will have to inspect your Dollars to make sure that:<\/p>\n