Cambodia finalises tourism strategy

PHNOM PENH Cambodia has finalized its Tourism Marketing Strategy 2015 to 2020 according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Agence Kampuchea Presse reported the strategy will be officially submitted to the Office of Council of Ministers for approval, this week.

The Cambodia Tourism Marketing Strategy, 2015 to 2020, has been drawn up in response to the global tourism trends identified by the UN’s World Tourism Organisation and adopts many of the points of the ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy.

Last year, the country attracted 4,502,775 international travelers up 7.0% from 4,210,165 visits in 2013. Of that total, 77.7% of were from the Asia and the Pacific region; 15.7% from Europe; 6.1% from Americas; 3.5% from Oceania; and only 0.3% from the Middle East and 0.1% from Africa.

CAMBODIA KHMER NEW YEAR The majority of foreign tourists visited cultural and historical sites, particularly the Angkor World Heritage Site, while coastal tourism, ecotourism and community-based tourism remain a challenge for tourism planners who say the strategy must share tourism benefits across the country.

Cambodia tour packages is expected to welcome 5 million foreign visitors in 2015 and 7.5 million by 2020.
However, Tourism Minister Thong Khon, admitted that Cambodia tourism will miss its target of 5 million arrivals, this year, due to the global situation, including terrorism and the outbreaks of Middle East

Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), along with Russia’s economic crisis.
But the year-end figure will not be less than last year arrivals of 4.5 million visits, the minister estimated.

sourced:ttrweekly.com