Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 11 DESTINATION Cambodia water pool and massage cabin to rival the best of beach clubs in Bali. Entertainment includes a live resident DJ and fire dance shows. Elsewhere, Chinese investors are increasingly influential in developing hotels in Cambodia with two Chinese firms to invest more than US$1.5 billion in hotel developments and commercial centres, according to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC). CDC said Xin Da Shi Jie International Hotel Co Ltd is to build a 1,500-room five-star hotel in Sihanoukville, with capital investment of US$331.5 million. The second project will see BOCC Development Co Ltd build a commercial centre, a 1,600- room five-star hotel and a four-star serviced hotel apartment on Phnom Penh's Diamond Island, with capital investment of US$1.181 billion. Association of Travel Agents of Cambodia president Chhay Sivlin told local media that while lower- tiered hotels below three-star were easier to book than before, higher- end hotels above four-star were struggling to meet demand. "I want to see more high- standard options in the hotel industry in Cambodia to satisfy tourists," Mr Sivlin said. The Cambodian government has indicated it will spend US$200 million to improve Sihanoukville's infrastructure. The eight-month project will involve the rebuilding of 34 streets stretching in total more than 84km. Pal Chandara, the secretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the government is rebuilding the streets in Sihanoukville "because we want it to be a modern city". Air connectivity takes off Air connectivity will be key to Cambodia's hopes of reaching its international visitor targets and Bangkok Airways, which currently serves two destinations in Cambodia, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, is due to start a new daily service to Sihanoukville in 2020. Thai AirAsia launched four weekly flights from Bangkok to Sihanoukville in July, served by the 180-seat Airbus A320. Cambodia Airways, meanwhile, is boosting its services from Phnom Penh to Chengdu and Shenzhen in China. Flights to Shenzhen started Dec 27 with three weekly services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. From Jan 2, the airline offered three weekly flights on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to Chengdu. Last June, the launch of Citylink flights heralded the beginning of direct flights between Cambodia and Indonesia. Kampot terminal will boost cruise business Cambodia has received financial support from the Asian Development Bank to build a cruise port in Kampot. The port, due to be completed in 2020, will be the first in the country with dedicated facilities and a terminal for cruise ships. Once operational, the port is expected to bring more tourists to explore Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, and Kep provinces, while serving as a port of call before sailing to Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam. CREDIT: JACKMALIPAN/GETTYIMAGES River boat restaurants in Kampot town, Cambodia. 1. Which editions of ASEAN Tourism Forum Travex have MP International organised? Established in 1987, MP International, part of the Pico Group, has an excellent track record of organising high-level government meetings, professional congresses and exhibitions across both the trade and consumer segment. As part of our successful portfolio, we have organised the 2015 ASEAN Tourism Forum in Myanmar with more than 2,000 tourism professionals and over 800 registered buyers from 65 countries. The event received accolades from the Union Minister, The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEANTA Kuala Lumpur. 2. What will be the theme for ATF 2021, Cambodia? The theme for ATF 2021 is "ASEAN - A Community of Peace and Shared Future", which echoes the vision of tourism playing a key role to foster a unified and collaborative ASEAN. Tourism sows the seeds of a shared future of peace that can bring about economic growth, social and cultural development and progress in the region. 3. How will ATF 2021 be different from other editions? Can you share some highlights? In addition to the various ministerial meetings, NTOs, AAA, AHRA, FATA and ASEANTA, ATF2021 will continue to be a key platform for businesses in the sector to grow awareness of their services, and leverage on opportunities to collaborate with external agents to exponentially grow their tourism business, both inbound and outbound. ATF 2021 will leverage on technology to enhance sellers, buyers, media and delegates' experience as well as business networking opportunities. We will be looking to introduce digital platforms for sellers to reach out more effectively to buyers, making their onsite discussions more fruitful. 4. How do you plan to attract more buyers and exhibitors in the lead-up to the event? We will develop an integrated marketing plan to enhance outreach to key buyers and exhibitors from the region and beyond. In addition to the traditional marketing tactics, we will have a stronger focus on digital marketing channels and social channels like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to garner interest from a wider market. When searching for opportunities, the new generation of buyers are more tech and social media savvy. We have to communicate and amplify the key messages and incentives of ATF through the appropriate channels to gain access to them. Travel Weekly Asia speaks to Jason Ng, executive director at MP International, to find out what's in store for ATF 2021, Cambodia. By Lee Xin Hui A Quick Word with ATF 2021's Organiser Jason Ng, executive director, MP International

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