Tourism: What’s the Progress?

By Lim Ainay

 

On July 29-30, 2009, the Ministry of Tourism held a conference to recap the growth trends of tourism and its future development. Her Excellency, Men Sam An, Permanent Deputy to the Prime Minister, opening remarks encouraged all tourism related industries to join together to make this sector grow in the coming future. 
 

More than a dozen distinguished speakers from the tourism industry provided information about how tourism can contribute to the economic growth of a country. They discussed the issues and new developments in the tourism sector.

 

The biggest problem facing the tourism sector is the economic downturn. Tourism figures are dropping all over the world. The second quarter of 2009 witnessed a 2.25 % drop in visitors to Cambodia compared to 2008.

 

A solution was presented for the decline in tourism.  Agencies are offering travel packages that are appealing to travelers. The Ministry of Tourism is currently cooperating with travel agencies, resorts, hotels and restaurant to create travel packages and share the benefit of a prosperous sector.
 

Also the Ministry of Tourism is investing a great deal in the marketing campaign to sell Cambodia’s exotic image abroad. With the “Kingdom of Wonder” campaign, containing advertisement on CNN, the government is targeting the Asian travelers market. The campaign emphasizes that Cambodia has more to offer than just the Angkor Wat, what is sadly thought of by many as the only Cambodian treasure. The long-term plan for this campaign is to also tap in to Western markets.

 

Another important step improve the accessibility of Cambodia is the start up of a new airline called Cambodian Angkor Air. This airline was established on July 27, 2009 between the Cambodian government and the Vietnamese airline.  With daily flights between Saigon and Phnom Penh, tourist will be more likely to combine a visit to both countries. Furthermore in Kep Province, there is an international harbor being constructed to increase the possible points of entry for tourist. 
 

The Cambodian Royal Government is also working in cooperation with the Thai government to simplify the entry process at the Poi Pet border, which is the main tourist entry gate from Thailand.  

 

Besides international tourism, efforts are being made to improve domestic tourism. For the domestic tourism market, it will focus on the boosting of visitor numbers for big events such as the Water Festival and the Khmer New Year. Currently, about 20 to 30 percent of travel agencies in Cambodia focus on domestic travelers. The Ministry of Tourism is assisting its operators in improving their services.

 

Following Her Excellency’s remarks, H.E. Thong Khon, Minister to the Ministry of Tourism, referred to the “Clean City, Clean Resorts, Good Service” motto, as a important tool in boosting the amount of tourists who come to visit Cambodia. “By keeping our country clean, and providing tourist with a good time here, we will attract a large amount of visitors.”