By KER MUNTHIT,
Associated Press Writer
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia should not rely on its famous Angkor Wat temple complex to sustain its tourism industry, and should be looking to develop other destinations as well, officials said Monday.
The advice was given by tourism experts at the launch of a booklet meant to encourage tourists to stay longer to enjoy other attractions that Cambodia has to offer beside its centuries-old monuments.
The country's tourism sector has been developing rapidly in the past few years, becoming a major source of income for the cash-strapped Southeast Asian country. About 1.7 million tourists visited Cambodia last year, roughly a 20 percent increase over 2005.
About half of the visitors went to see Angkor temples in Siem Reap province, Cambodia's main tourism hub.
"One never can take rising streams of tourists for granted," Daniel Haas, first secretary of the German Embassy in Cambodia, said at the launch of the "Stay Another Day Cambodia" booklet.
"Having a wonderful attraction like Angkor Wat is no guarantee that tourists will keep coming to Cambodia," he said, noting the country has attractions beyond its historic culture.
The booklet features products and services including eco-tours, local cuisine and cooking classes, traditional massage, visits to development projects, orphanages, rehabilitation centers, artisans and the concerts of master musicians.
Kate Lloyd-Williams - tourism program manager of the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility, which produced the booklet with sponsorship from Germany - said most tourists simply "fly away" after touring the temples, buying some souvenirs and taking some pictures.
"As we all know, tourists spend less time and money in Cambodia than they do in neighboring countries," she said.
The advice was given by tourism experts at the launch of a booklet meant to encourage tourists to stay longer to enjoy other attractions that Cambodia has to offer beside its centuries-old monuments.
The country's tourism sector has been developing rapidly in the past few years, becoming a major source of income for the cash-strapped Southeast Asian country. About 1.7 million tourists visited Cambodia last year, roughly a 20 percent increase over 2005.
About half of the visitors went to see Angkor temples in Siem Reap province, Cambodia's main tourism hub.
"One never can take rising streams of tourists for granted," Daniel Haas, first secretary of the German Embassy in Cambodia, said at the launch of the "Stay Another Day Cambodia" booklet.
"Having a wonderful attraction like Angkor Wat is no guarantee that tourists will keep coming to Cambodia," he said, noting the country has attractions beyond its historic culture.
The booklet features products and services including eco-tours, local cuisine and cooking classes, traditional massage, visits to development projects, orphanages, rehabilitation centers, artisans and the concerts of master musicians.
Kate Lloyd-Williams - tourism program manager of the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility, which produced the booklet with sponsorship from Germany - said most tourists simply "fly away" after touring the temples, buying some souvenirs and taking some pictures.
"As we all know, tourists spend less time and money in Cambodia than they do in neighboring countries," she said.
22 comments:
You see that? That is from having
too many racists in Cambodia. They
shout and scream and misbehave on
every little crap. We need to
deported back to south Vietnam if
we are to protect our tourist
industry.
Cambodia needs a lot of overhauling:
-Tourism sector
-Military sector
-Police sector
-Health sector
-Education
-Reform Buddhist institution
-Commerce sector
-Judicial sector
-Government practice
-Term limit for PM
-Taxattion sector
-National revenue sector
-Reform on how govt' borrow internatonal loans
-Environment sector
-Gambling sector
AH HUN SEN is the fucken slave of the Vietcong! when did slave ever learn how to think? Slave can't think because it will make their brain hurt! So stop having slave mentality!!!
Hey Post4:43, right of the bat,
I would have to say "term limit
for PM" is a bad and immoral idea.
If a person is doing an outstanding
job like SomDach Hun Sen, we all
want him to continue to work for
else.
Secondly, there is not such thing
in ther world. So, stop try to
deceive khmer people. Will ya?
Yes Post4:49, keep on barking
because you ain't getting no bone.
We know a spoil dog when we see
one.
If your Samdech HS has been doing an outstanding job, why the Khmer populations remain living poorly than their neigbors, Thais & VNs.
What standard are you comparing with?
HS is in power because the super power countries are busy with the Middle East.
Post5:07, we are poor because
we have zero after pol pot.
Let say each year our growth
is 7%. Now when you do the math,
zero multiply by 7% is zero.
and when you repeat the math
30 times for 30 years you still
get zero.
Is this our fault?
Post5:09, where were they before
the 911? Hun Sen was in power
before the 911.
Don't you have anything other than
excuses after excuses after
excuses after excuses ...
You never get tired of that?
That is sooooo pathetic.
5:23, talking about excuses. Pathetic analogy Period!.,period.
uneducated,.Period.
Signed,
.You're ...
Your lanuage sounds like your leader, only strong amongst his own poor Khmer people, but stoop down before foreigners, not just VNs, but int'l arenas.
Your leader like HS is left with a few like Myanmar, North Korea, Castro's Cuba.
And these leaders and countries have one thing in common. The country starve their own people.
Hun Sen is a greatest obstacle for Cambodia to grow. Hun Sen is a least educated and the most brutal beast Khmer Rouge ever lives.
Why is Cambodia is so poor ? by comparing to our Neighbours countries..
The income is made from Angkor is going to Yuon-Hanoi's pocket through Sok Kong Mafia group.
Money hasn't much left for Khmer-People.Youn-Hanoi has used those monies to feed their hiding Bodoi in Camboddia.
as leader should know what happened in country, you all know that, korean is main tourist in country, they come with korean flight, they eat at korean own resturant, they tour angkor on korean buses, they buy sourvenir at korean own shop, they stay at korean own or have very cheap deal, what benifit Cambodian?? few job as driver, waiter and tour guide, temple pass given to Sok Kong...... what can tourist do beside angkor?? any attraction??? if you do business with korean and chinese fine, but less people from Europe who spend more money, appreciate the culture, tradition of nation, but this korean just make so much noise with temples that all westerner hat and don't want to see.
why there is only one flight from Bangkok to Siemreap??? why the price so expensive compare to Phnom penh or other routs, though it is same distance or longer??? why Bangkok air is so special??? not because of th deal from the head of Gavernments and Bangkok air?? why Hun Sen doesn't see this?? because he is part of the deal or he is too dump to know about it?????
There are much more than this happened around the country that all of us know some part or doesn't know at all, remember, teaching people to fish is better than giving the fish. now all of them given the fish not to teach their own people to fish, because people will always rely on them, they will always god in people eye, but the reality is they all evil.
Post5:45, I am uneducated and that
is all you can say? Who's the real
uneducated here, huh?
How much money do you think we
have? and what the average salary
should be and from what? ...
Let see some educated math, shall
we? Otherwise STFU. Does that make
sense?
Post12:35, first it aint that bad.
The number of visitors grow at
least 25% each year. All I am
saying is it could be better if
Khmer image is more appealing to
people around the world.
Admittely, we have some corrupted
people in our country, but it is
not as bad as politicians who
struggle for power and their media
such as KI made it to be. If that
was the case a good portion of
the population would have died
from all types of diseases and
parasites that we have in our
land, but that is not the case.
I am not against publishing the
truth to anyone, but to print junks
that detered tourists and jobs
away from the suffering is plainly
Evil, and for that, we will seek
justice from our lord against all
your racist people.
dear 5.51 pm
well said you have, from what you had said, i understood that you were from th healthy family or at least you are a person who not been around a country that much. i don't care about politic, just want everyone has better life. since you were talking about diseases. let bring up the hospital side to talk.
i went couple of times to hospital to visit patien, if you want any kind of treatment, money have to come, any acident want to have ambulance service,$20 need to be paid, if not the car will come back. if no relative with you, if you unconcious you will obsolutely lie on the floor wait for a final breath.... as far as i experinced, nurse, doctors save life is the objective and morality.... but not with Cambodian doctor at stated own hospital at least
It is great that our country have a lot of support from international to fight diseases, thank to Dr Richner whom formed the Kuntha Bopha hospital, without him may be million of Cambodian children had died......with $400 million dollars from donors to Cambodian every years, I'm not so sure that the small and lovily country will look like........ if i'm not wrong Cambodian had received around $400 million dollars as donotion since 1994, the year of corruption law had drafted until today haven't finish yet....because the world still pouring this amount of money years to coming..........this not yet include the money on laond from China, world bank, ADB........
for your information, there are around 50 families of Cambodian came from another provices to sleep under the tree to get into the queu at Kuntha bopha everyday to be treated..........
I just hope to have some improvement sooner, it is terible to live in such life.....
Post9:20, what you said about
medical care is true for developed
country, but not all. I have read
report that in the US, if you are
ill and you don't have insurance,
you are dead in the water.
But in the poor country like Laos
Vietnam, ... , the care is less
readly availble.
And true that we did received
international aids of 400 millions
on top of our tax revenue about
250 millions among other aids and
loans of 2 millions here ... and
5 millions there. At that time,
you could extimate our total
working capitals to be about 750
millions.
Now, the question is, is .75
billion a lot of money to care
for 10 millions people for a
full year?
Why should guess at the answer,
right, when we know how to do the
basic math for ourself, and let
the result be the truth because
math doesn't lie, right.
Okay so, if we were to distribute
the .75 billion to 10 millions
people, each people will received
75 USD for the entire year. And
now, we know that there are 365
days in a year. So, to find out
what this mean for people per day,
we take 75 USD / 365 and that
will be roughly 0.21 cent per day.
Accordingly, do you think we
can really care for everyone with
such amount?
Here, I am not even mention how
much is paid out to the UN experts,
How much we spend to maintain our
Embassies overseas ...
In my oppinion, I am fascinated
that our people was not dying
left and right in 1994.
And yes, things has got better
today than it was in 1994. The
income per capita is up as we
expected. I know it look slow, but
if you are good in math, we are
riding on and exponential curve.
And I have extimated to arrive
at the knee of the curve somewhere
between 2010-2012. And from that
point on, the change will be
faster and faster untit we
reach a point of equilibrium or
saturation.
I nominate the "heros' trail" in Phnom Penh as the most promising tourist attraction. It starts at the news stand near Wat Langka and snakes through the city, with many a twist and turn, to end at the March 1997 memorial across from the national Assembly.
Most of the comments are beside the point. What was reported on was the fact that tourists don't stay long enough to spend more money in this country. You just need to look at the average length of stay, which 3.5days. Most toustists only go to Siem Reap. But where else should they go? Cambodia might have a lot to offer, but it is not a whole lot different from Thailand, or VN. Thailand has a much longer history of attracting tourists and a much better infrastructure. Meanwhile, even VN is better. Sihanoukville is a very nice beach spot, but lacks the infrastructure, and it is now threatened by the oil business. Kep would be an alternative, but I don't see any hotels going up there. There are some good Mekong cruises, but that's minimal in the great scheme of things. So what else does Cambodia have in the eyes of barang tourists? And by the way, that one post was right. You have to see how long ago Cambodia got out of the hole. Sure Hun Sen wasted a lot of time. But what was the alternative? Ranariddh?
You go, Mate!!!
Anyway, did you read like
yesterday that the SihanoukVille
Airport is up an running. Do you
know what this mean? And the French
will be operating it because we
still don't get the hang of running
it yet.
So, the question is do you think
the French would invest millions
into the project for the Fun of it?
I bet they got what it take to
attract the crowd. I predict it
will be a little Hawaii.
Hopefully, there is still time for me to build a hotel there. I have been looking there for a long but just didn't trust it would ever really take off, like Thai resorts did. I only saw tourists going to Siem Reap. Who do we get in Sihanoukville, European people for a weekend who work in P P., and young backpackers. They sure don't spend a whole lot of money in Cambodia.
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