Nay Pyi Taw, Sep 1 (IANS): Myanmar has granted e-visa for tourists and business visitors at three border crossings with Thailand starting from Thursday.

The authorities began e-visa services for tourists entering the country through Yangon International Airport on September 1, 2014 from a total of 100 countries and the service was extended to Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw on November 9 the same year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Moreover, the authorities also offered e-visa for business visitors from 51 countries at Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw airports on July 1, 2015.

According to statistics, foreign tourist arrivals in Myanmar amounted to 1.69 million in the first six months of this year, increasing by 4 per cent as compared with the same period of the previous year when over 650,000 came to the country.

During the period, visitors from Thailand, Singapore, China and Japan took 70 per cent stake, while European tourists shared 30 per cent.

Thai tourists accounted for the majority, followed by Chinese and Japanese.

Myanmar targets to attract 5.5 million of tourists this year.