The Ministry of Tourism has announced new measures to insure the safety of foreign visitors in the Kingdom, particularly the increasing number of Chinese tourists.
The ministry’s directive comes as tourist numbers are booming. Government data showed that international tourist arrivals to Cambodia reached 3.45 million in the first seven months of 2018, up 11.1 per cent over the same period last year.
Chinese visitors accounted for more than one million of those arrivals, according to the ministry.
The new safety measures require concerned parties to monitor a range of factors, including weather conditions and tourists’ modes of transport.
The directive called for increased use of safety cameras, emergency call numbers and public safety signs. It also advised travel agents against taking tourists to places considered to be high risk, especially Chinese visitors.
Cambodia expects to welcome about 6.2 million foreign visitors in 2018, and 7 million by 2020. The ministry said it anticipates as many as 14 million foreign visitors by 2030.
Sok Phal, the secretary of state at Ministry of Interior, said last week that there are about 210,000 Chinese nationals currently living in Cambodia, up from more than 100,000 in 2017.