Tourism minister Huot Hak addresses the media following his return from an official trip to China’s Henan province. The minister laid out plans to attract one million Chinese tourists per year. Tourism ministry
Newly-appointed Minister of Tourism Huot Hak, who until recently served as Minister of Inspections, has called the Kingdom’s citizens and international guests to play their part in promoting Cambodia as a tourist destination, while assuring the public that the tourism ministry is actively working with all relevant stakeholders to revive this crucial sector.
Hak returned from China on October 20, after attending a Lbokator-Shaolin performance in Henan province, an event which was a highlight of the 13th International Shaolin Wushu Festival on October 19.
He explained to the media that as a government administration, the ministry has prepared detailed plans to contribute to the tourism sector by finding ways to increase the number of international visitors to the Kingdom, thus supporting national economic development and improving the livelihoods of citizens.
Hak said that one of these plans involves proactive collaboration between each of the ministry’s leaders and officials with other government institutions and relevant bodies.
The ministry will cooperate with authorities across the capital and 24 provinces, from the national to the local level, as well as with the private sector, both domestically and internationally, to promote Cambodia’s tourism destinations.
In addition, it will work closely with many foreign embassies in Cambodia and Cambodian embassies, consulates, and tourism representatives worldwide.
“As the Minister of Tourism, I encourage all Cambodian citizens, both inside and outside the country, as well as foreigners, to help promote tourism widely under the slogan, ‘Together for Tourism, Tourism for All’,” he said.
“Every individual is an active ambassador for Cambodia's tourism industry. Whether Cambodian or foreign, they can actively showcase Cambodia’s tourism potential and destinations to citizens at home and around the world,” he added.
This year marks the "Cambodia-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges 2024”, with several major events already successfully concluded, including the “When Shaolin Meets Bokator” events. The first was held in Siem Reap’s Angkor Archaeological Park in April and the second in China’s Henan province on October 19.
Before the year of exchanges is concluded in January 2025, additional celebrations will take place, including the Cambodia-China Food Fair from October 26-28, as well as cultural, tourist and religious events in November, with each of them set to be staged in Siem Reap province, according to Hak.
During his visit to Henan province, Hak highlighted the potential of Cambodia’s tourism sector to 22 Chinese companies, highlighting the food, hospitality, lodging, hotels, services, reasonable prices and diverse tourist destinations which are on offer in the Kingdom.
He noted that several companies in Henan are expected to begin conducting business in Cambodia’s tourism sector. The ministry has also decided to organize a FAM, or familiarization, trip to welcome these companies. This plan will be promoted to the private sector, which will be encouraged to prepare to welcome several major Chinese companies in the near future.
Hak also revealed that the ministry aims to attract one million tourists from Henan province and the provinces around it, with the number of arrivals expected to increase annually through collaboration with Chinese tourism agencies.
He explained that Henan has a population of around 100 million people, so if just one per cent of the population visits Cambodia, it would amount to 1 million guests from that province alone. To achieve this, Cambodia has opened a consulate in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, to make it easier for tourists from Henan to visit the Kingdom.
He also urged the establishment of daily direct flights between Cambodia and Henan Province. At present, there are just three flights per week.
“We are determined to bring one million Chinese tourists to Cambodia annually. After reaching one million, we will expand the number of arrivals even further, possibly to two or three million in the coming years,” he added.
Tourism contributes about 13 per cent of Cambodia’s gross domestic product (GDP). In 2019, Cambodia welcomed its highest number of international guests, at 6.61 million, of which Chinese tourists topped the list at around 2.36 million, or 35.7 per cent of the total foreign arrivals.
In the first eight months of the year, Cambodia received over 4.29 million international visitors, an increase of 22.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. Of this number, slightly more than 538,000 were Chinese, a rise of 13.7 per cent on the same period in 2023.
Anheng Sokpheak, president of the Cambodia Chinese Tour Guide Association, emphasised that Chinese tourists are an important segment of Cambodia's visitor share. He explained that one factor that could help increase the number of Chinese arrivals would be the introduction of direct flights from key Chinese cities or provinces.
He noted that Chinese tourists used to stay in Cambodia for an average of five to eight days, and their primary destinations were Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Preah Sihanouk.
“As someone in the Chinese tourism market, I fully support and will be pleased to see an increase in direct flights to key Chinese cities. I hope more flights will be added to provide convenience and attract more tourists to Cambodia,” he said.
