Cambodia eyed for 2-way tourism

Philippine travel agencies are exploring two-way tourism opportunities with Cambodia which it considers as an untapped market.

Philippine Travel Agencies Association ( PTAA) president Aileen Clemente said the industry intends to take advantage of Cebu Pacific’s new direct flights to Cambodia.

“With the Association of South East Asian Nations gearing up towards promoting the region and with the launch of Cebu Pacific’s direct flights to Cambodia, it is a viable strategy to encourage tourism between our two countries,” Clemente said.

PTAA is dispatching a team to Cambodia this week to hold separate meetings with Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon as well as travel agencies there.

“Cambodia is a new territory in terms of business opportunities for our members. With Filipinos travelling more than any time in the past and continuously looking for new places to visit, Cambodia offers some potential,” said PTAA vice president for outbound Josefina Baena.

In 2011, Cambodia received 2.90 million tourists. It expects to have at least 3.10 million tourist arrivals this year.

The Cambodian government has characterized their country as an inexpensive destination with tourists spending $60 at most per day with an average stay of six days in the country.

The Cambodian government is expecting Filipino tourist arrivals to their country to jump at least 50 percent this year with the introduction of direct flights from the Philippines. Last year, Cambodia was visited by 17,000 Filipinos.

In terms of inbound Cambodian tourists, PTAA said that Cambodian tourists, on the other hand, are interested in visiting Makati City, the malls in Metro Manila and the tourist spot in Boracay and Palawan.

The PTAA said it is bringing 100 of its member companies to the business trip to Cambodia.

In the past few years, the PTAA had held high level talks with the governments of India, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.