eTravelBlackboardAsia.com
According to some Cambodian media resources, tourism authorities hope to double the number of Chinese visits within the next two years.
CAMBODIA is hoping to lure more Chinese visitors in the wake of crippling anti-government protests in Thailand and falling arrivals from Western countries hit by the global financial crisis, tourism officials told the Phnom Penh Post Monday.
Tourism Minister Dr. Thong Khon said that China is a growing tourism market and that officials plan to double the number of Chinese visitors by the end of 2009.
China is the fifth-largest market after Korea, Viet Nam, Japan and the United States, with 10,776 visiting Cambodia in the first 10 months of 2008, according to Tourism Ministry figures.
An April 2008 report by the Tourism Ministry said that 6.4 percent of the total number of tourists to Cambodia in the first four months of the year were Chinese.
In 2007, Cambodia received a 94,374 Chinese tourists out of a total of 2,015,128 visitors, according to the Tourism Ministry.
"We plan to attract a large number of Chinese tourists to Cambodia in 2009, and step -by-step we will double the number to keep the tourism industry strong," Dr. Thong Khon said.
"We expect that a lot of Chinese tourists will visit Cambodia soon, if there are more flights than before ... and plan to advertise to attract Chinese tourists through CCTV1 television," he added.
"Through this plan, we expect that big Chinese airline companies will increase their activity, too."
There are currently four air routes between Cambodia and China, namely from Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Dr. Thong Khon said.
Ho Vandy, chairman of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents (CATA), said the Tourism Ministry's plan might help attract more Chinese tourists.
He added however, that he does not expect the numbers to increase dramatically until 2010.
"I think the Tourism Ministry's plan to attract Chinese tourists to Cambodia is a golden opportunity, because China is warning their people not to visit Thailand, which is under turmoil," Ho Vandy said.
According to an evaluation by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) up to 2020, China will get 100 million international visitors, while the country will also provide 100 million visitors to countries in the region.
Lao Heng, Chairman of VLK Tour Company, said that an increase in Chinese tourism would help offset declining visitors from the US and Europe.
"I think we should not depend on only European tourists," he told the Phnom Penh Post.
"We had better look at regional tourists, because our people need food to eat."
CAMBODIA is hoping to lure more Chinese visitors in the wake of crippling anti-government protests in Thailand and falling arrivals from Western countries hit by the global financial crisis, tourism officials told the Phnom Penh Post Monday.
Tourism Minister Dr. Thong Khon said that China is a growing tourism market and that officials plan to double the number of Chinese visitors by the end of 2009.
China is the fifth-largest market after Korea, Viet Nam, Japan and the United States, with 10,776 visiting Cambodia in the first 10 months of 2008, according to Tourism Ministry figures.
An April 2008 report by the Tourism Ministry said that 6.4 percent of the total number of tourists to Cambodia in the first four months of the year were Chinese.
In 2007, Cambodia received a 94,374 Chinese tourists out of a total of 2,015,128 visitors, according to the Tourism Ministry.
"We plan to attract a large number of Chinese tourists to Cambodia in 2009, and step -by-step we will double the number to keep the tourism industry strong," Dr. Thong Khon said.
"We expect that a lot of Chinese tourists will visit Cambodia soon, if there are more flights than before ... and plan to advertise to attract Chinese tourists through CCTV1 television," he added.
"Through this plan, we expect that big Chinese airline companies will increase their activity, too."
There are currently four air routes between Cambodia and China, namely from Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Dr. Thong Khon said.
Ho Vandy, chairman of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents (CATA), said the Tourism Ministry's plan might help attract more Chinese tourists.
He added however, that he does not expect the numbers to increase dramatically until 2010.
"I think the Tourism Ministry's plan to attract Chinese tourists to Cambodia is a golden opportunity, because China is warning their people not to visit Thailand, which is under turmoil," Ho Vandy said.
According to an evaluation by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) up to 2020, China will get 100 million international visitors, while the country will also provide 100 million visitors to countries in the region.
Lao Heng, Chairman of VLK Tour Company, said that an increase in Chinese tourism would help offset declining visitors from the US and Europe.
"I think we should not depend on only European tourists," he told the Phnom Penh Post.
"We had better look at regional tourists, because our people need food to eat."
3 comments:
that is so scare, Please visitors and readers, go to visit my blog too , thanks alot
To me, there is no long term vision at all in the strategy plan of this ministry of tourism.
There should be plan A & B and possibly plan C with already pre-analysis answer to this question "WHAT IF". In case one does not work then the other will come to play.
If there is no contingency then it would be late to counter the sudden unexpected changes.
For instand, Cambodia's toursim likewise other's in the region have been relying on Siam and other countries in the region and vice versa for years through a package tour promotion to Western tourists. Everyone were so happy with no new initiatives were prepared.
Now it is a big SHOCK.
I hope they would have leanred from this and stop calling themselves Dr or Phd certified without working or going to class.
there are a lot of rich chinese people, too. so why not visit cambodia; after all china has the world largest population and they can make cambodian richer when they come and spend their money in cambodia and help cambodia. i have nothing against them. at least, they don't come and try to steal lands from cambodia like the vietnamese or the thai!
Post a Comment