The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Cambodia, hosted the Cambodia-India Tourism Forum 2024 in Siem Reap province on Thursday, aiming to promote tourism and cultural exchange between Cambodia and India and to attract more Indian investors to invest in Cambodia’s tourism industry.
Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, viewed the forum themed ‘The Potential of the Indian Tourism Market for Cambodia: Opportunity and Readiness,’ as a crucial event as Cambodia’s tourism sector is closely linked to India, which includes both Indian tourism and investment flows.
“The forum will be able to better promote the culture, traditions and tourism potential of our two countries, which will not only contribute to the strengthening of good relations and cooperation, increase tourism relations between Cambodia and India, but also prioritize the Indian tourism market source for Cambodian tourism,” Hak said.
The forum will also provide an opportunity for tourism experts, private sector, and related stakeholders from the two countries to build a network, exchange ideas and experiences, and seek for joint strategies to contribute to the development of sustainable and responsible tourism, he added.
In the first eight months of 2024, Cambodia received about 4.29 million international tourists, an increase of 22.5 percent from the same period of last year. Of which, some 50,000 tourists were Indian tourists, an increase of 15.2 percent, the ministry’s report showed.
The event will bring together key stakeholders from both countries, including government officials, tourism industry representatives, and investors.
The forum will dive into strategies to further tap into this potential and attract more Indian visitors to Cambodia’s iconic destinations, such as Angkor Wat and Siem Reap.
Regarding India’s tourism market, a direct flight by India’s leading low-cost carrier IndiGo is expected to boost tourist arrivals to the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport from February next year.
In June this year, Cambodia’s Air Cambodia (former Cambodia Angkor Air) started its direct flight between Phnom Penh and New Delhi.
Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodian Tourism Association (CATA), has urged all operators or stakeholders in the tourism sector to be prepared and study Indian tourists in all aspects to be ready to receive Indian tourists.
“Indian tourists traveling abroad are considered one of the top foreign tourists. As tour operators, we should know the important aspects to serve Indian tourists well,” Sivlin said.
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