The director stated that the promotions will focus on the area surrounding Phnom Penh and the 400km-plus coastline together with its seaside resorts and offshore islands. The other location is the less visited northeastern quarter of the country. According to TTG Asia, the ministry intends to focus on eco-tourism as Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary is one of several preservation zones here.
Recently issued statistics put the number of Chinese tourists visiting annually at about five per cent of the total number of international visitors. The ministry hopes to tap into the expanding affluence of China’s population and increase the percentage to 20 per cent by 2020. This equates to 2 million visitors.
The Tourism Ministry also stated recently that more work needed to be put into marketing Cambodia’s diversity and the broad range of its visitor draws. To further its aims of enticing more Chinese into visiting, the ministry held an expo at a venue in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou last week.
A number of Cambodian tourism related agencies and professionals manned stalls at the expo. Afterwards, the sales manager for Cambodia Angkor Air said that adding Guangzhou to Phnom Penh flights to Guangzhou-Siem Reap services two months ago offered Chinese tourists more options.
Cambodia tourism ministry courts Chinese visitors
News in Asia
Cambodia has announced a number of measures aimed at attracting more Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asian nation. Visothy So, the Tourism Ministry’s marketing director, says plans are afoot that will see the construction of a massive new shopping and lifestyle complex as well as campaigns to promote tourism in three regions.