Not a Cambodia Bed of Roses for Tourists

[geovalin]

Cambodia’s tourism sector is still riddled with serious problems that need to be urgently tackled by both the private and public sectors if the Kingdom aspires to be a major tourist destination by 2020. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s internal mid-annual report for the year, obtained by Khmer Times yesterday, the country’s tourism sector faces both internal and external challenges that if left unaddressed could adversely affect the Kingdom’s economic growth. The report pointed out that job creation and poverty alleviation could also be affected.

Cambodia’s tourism sector currently supports 620,000 direct jobs and generated a revenue of about $3 billion in 2015. In 2020, the country hopes to receive around seven million international tourists with a total revenue of about $5 billion and create about one million direct jobs. “The internal challenge stems from the poor engagement of the private sector to promote tourism in the country and the ministry lacking strategies and programs to attract international and local tourists,” said the report.

“There is a lack of research and analysis of how the Cambodian tourism industry fits into the larger global market and how the country can piggy-back on other tourism festivals and events internationally to attract tourists to the country,” the report added. The report was also scathing on the ministry’s cooperation with the private sector and its inter-ministerial collaboration with other ministries.

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/27203/not-a-cambodia-bed-of-roses-for-tourists/