Northstar

10 | www.travelweekly-asia.com DESTINATION Cambodia T ourist numbers lifted almost 10%, new tourism projects were announced, more airlines connected Cambodia to the rest of South-east Asia and the country's neighbours are cooperating with Cambodia like never before to lift the profile of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). No wonder Cambodia feels 2019 was a very good year for its tourism sector and is optimistic that the momentum will be sustained heading into 2021, when the country will host Asean Tourism Forum (ATF). According to Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism, in the first 10 months of 2019, Cambodia received 5.3 million international tourists, an increase of 9.7% over the same period in 2018. The ministry estimates Cambodia will receive 7.5 million international tourists in 2020 and 15 million in 2030. Encouraged by the uptick in tourist arrivals, the Cambodian government has been looking to add to the country's tourism attractions by developing Bokor National Park - which includes an old French hill station - into a futuristic tourism- based city which would also serve as a historical preservation site. The park can be reached as a day trip from Kampot or Sihanoukville and is part of the southern coastal tourism corridor. Private sector initiatives include Guide Direk, the kingdom's first tour guide booking app, which was launched by local travel agency Matong Co Ltd to assist tour guides in finding more clients. CEO Khim Maland said during its launch that both domestic and international tourists could book with confidence as all listed guides were licensed by the Ministry of Tourism. GMS countries agree one-for-all, all-for-one action plan The six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – have agreed to boost tourism cooperation, including improving infrastructure and marketing techniques and developing human resources. They have further pledged to promote secondary destinations to better balance growth and encourage multi-country travel. A meeting, held late November at Apsara Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, adopted a joint action plan that aims to increase the number of tourists from other GMS countries as well as from countries outside the region. Cambodia has received financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to build a cruise port in Kampot, as well as a road along the coast connecting Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, and a railway line from China. Other ADB funding of around US$8 million will be used to improve tourism infrastructure in Kep and Koh Kong provinces. Speaking at the 44th Greater Mekong Subregion tourism working Tourism pieces coming together in time for ATF 2021. By Ian Jarrett Cambodia's year of shining brightly group gathering in Siem Reap, Tith Chantha, Cambodia's permanent secretary of state, Ministry of Tourism, said GMS tourism cooperation continues to deliver tangible benefits for all segments of society. Mr. Chantha and Steven Schipani, from the ADB, agreed that building human resources, enabling seamless travel connectivity, and improving environmental management in tourist destinations – all priorities under the planned GMS Strategy 2030 – are critically needed to maintain GMS tourism competitiveness. When the final numbers come in, the GMS region is on track to reach its 80 million visitors target and generate an all-time high of more than US$90 billion in tourism receipts for 2019. Siem Reap hotels face downturn, Sihanoukville powers on Hotel news across Cambodia is mixed with properties in Siem Reap having to contend with a downturn in visitorship to the town where Cambodia's famed Angkor Archeological Park received 2.2 million foreign tourists in 2019, down 14.8% year-on-year. Undeterred, Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor reopened on Oct 1, 2019, after a closure of six months for renovations. Designed in the late 1920s by architect Ernest Hébrard in French colonial style, the hotel's interior combines Khmer art and furnishings with Art Deco influences such as black and white marble floors and a celebrated wrought iron elevator in the lobby. The biggest structural addition to the refreshed property is a makeover of the Apsara Terrace into a new MICE and banquets venue located in the hotel's gardens, due to open in Q1 2020. Still in Siem Reap, the town received its own beach club last year. The operators of the Cambo beach club imported tonnes of sand and built a 30m saltwater ATF2021, Cambodia will be held in Phnom Penh. CREDIT: PIPOP_BOOSARAKUMWADI/GETTY IMAGES

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