Cambodia, France set to boost number of tourists
CA MBODIA and France anticipate a grow th in the number of tourists t ravelling between t he countries after a delegation from French travel agency Atout France v isited the Kingdom on Tuesday and Wednesday, Cambodia Association of Travel Agents president Chhay Sivlin told The Post.
Atout France, a government institution which works in partnership with public and private organisations i n France to promote the countr y as a tourism destination, paid its first-ever v isit to Cambodia t his week.
Sivlin told The Post on Wednesday t hat Atout France’s v isit was ver y important for tourism
development in Cambodia as it presents an opportunit y for t he Kingdom to be widely promoted as a holiday destination in France.
She added that present in the delegation were representatives from major companies such as Air France, Club Med SAS and CroisiEurope.
“We hope t hat the number of tourists will increase f urt her. French tourists have long been regarded as a group t hat likes to travel to Cambodia and spend a lot of money. They are ver y interested in temples, culture and Cambodian t radit ion,” Sivlin said.
Cambodians in France
She continued that the number of Cambodians t ravelling to France for pleasure has increased steadily due to Paris being a cit y with many sightseeing and shopping destinations.
Cambodia also asked Air France to assess t he possibilit y of reinstating direct flights to the Kingdom, which the company suspended six years ago, according to Sivlin.
1.8 million foreign tourists
According to a Ministr y of Tourism report, during the first quarter of this year Cambodia received over 1.8 million foreign tourists, up 9.7 per cent from the same period last year. Of these, French tourists numbered 59,401, up five per cent compared to the same period last year.
Ministr y of Tourism spokesman Chuk Chumno echoed Sivlin’s comments that Atout France’s v isit will prove beneficial for Cambodia’s tourism sector.
“Atout France will contribute to strengthening the tourism sector in Cambodia. Atout France not only helps promote Cambodia’s tourism sector in France, but it a lso helps boost t he qualit y of ser v ices in Cambodia,” he said.
Despite a decreasing number of French-language guides i n Cambodia, Chumno says the ministr y continuously trains people as tour guides in foreign languages, so t he Kingdom will not face any issues catering to French tourists in t he f uture.
Fra nce is t he main tourism dest inat ion in Europe for Cambodia ns, wit h t he number of v isa applicat ions increasing 25 per cent t his yea r compared to t he sa me per iod last yea r, according to a press release f rom t he French Embassy.