Tourism

Cambodia’s tourism industry is expanding beyond the iconic temples of Siem Reap and its white-sand beaches to the country’s little-explored northeast, with domestic tourists leading the surge, provincial data showed yesterday.  ...

An estimated 4.8 million tourists visited Cambodia in 2015, up 6 percent from the 4.5 million visitors last year, Ministry of Tourism Under­secretary of State Top Sopheak said on Sunday. ...

About $1 billion will be invested to transform Koh Tang – “Legend Island” – into a luxury destination for domestic and international tourists, with resorts, hotels, a theme park, golf course and airport, executives said at the signing ceremony for a memorandum of understand (MoU) ...

Passenger traffic at all three of Cambodia’s international airports is expected to grow this year despite the economic slowdown in Asia’s biggest economy, which could see many Chinese tourists tightening their belt. ...

Land prices in Siem Reap town are continuing to climb due the province’s robust tourism industry, realtors say. ...

A new VIP lounge was officially opened yesterday by Plaza Premium Group in the departure area of Phnom Penh International Airport, with the Hong Kong-based company saying it invested nearly $2 million in the lounge. ...

Work was underway on Friday to erect the big top of Phare, The Cambodian Circus, at its new location on the outskirts of Siem Reap City. ...

The new duty-free shop opened by China Duty Free Group (CDFG) in Sihanoukville will have a major impact on development of the tourism industry in the coastal resort, a senior provincial official said yesterday. ...

The Cambodian government officially took charge of the ticket sales at the Angkor Archeological Park on January 1, after Prime Minster Hun Sen announced in November an end to the Sok Kong-owned Sokimex’s control of the service. ...

As the year-end festivities get into high gear, provincial tourism officials are reporting a sharp increase in Cambodians travelling to popular holiday spots across the country to ring in the New Year.The temple town of Siem Reap this year is seeing an increase in hotel ...

Keeping up appearances, Apsara Authority’s water management team has begun pumping water into the drying ponds around the Angkor temple complex. ...

Major restoration works have been completed at the former seat of power of the Angkorian civilisation, Angkor Thom, following damage inflicted to the site by Typhoon Nesat in 2011. ...

The Environment Ministry has revoked the rights of a company owned by government lawmaker and tycoon Sieng Nam to manage the Kulen Mountain Resort in the Preah Bat Jayavarman-Nordom National Park in Siem Reap province, saying the move was in the national interest. ...

A ceremony here on Saturday, attended by some of the country’s most powerful officials, laid out Royal Group’s $30 million plan to develop Koh Rong’s previously pristine Sok San beach into a luxury resort, complete with houses, piers, hotels and facilities for helicopters. ...

This year’s Sea Festival, held for the first time in Kampot last weekend, attracted over 300,000 visitors and generated more than $15 million in revenue for the local community, tourism minister Thong Khon said yesterday. ...

As the number of boutique hotels rises rapidly in Phnom Penh, hoteliers say they have seen their occupancy rates drop this year due to the increased offerings – as well as the economic downturn in Europe and terrorism scares in the region.  ...

Revenue from ticket sales for foreign visitors to the Angkor Wat temple complex rose slightly in the first 11 months of this year to $53.5 million, a 1.15 percent rise over the same period last year, the government agency that manages Angkor Archaeological Park said ...

Cambodia on Friday released a TV spot to promote the “code of conduct” for tourists visiting the famed Angkor Wat Temple in northwestern Siem Reap province. ...

Camera-wielding visitors to the iconic temples of the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province will have to take extra care before clicking away now that the government has imposed new rules—effective immediately—for anyone aiming to make money off of their images. ...

Infrastructure in Cambodia is not as well developed as in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, and floods and poor roads make travel challenging during the monsoon season, from May to October, but cheap frequent bus services, a good domestic airline and easygoing locals make travelling here ...

This year’s subdued Water Festival festivities in the capital, where traditional boat races were cancelled, has resulted in a bump in tourism in the provinces as Cambodians use the three-day holiday to visit their families, enjoy cultural activities and lounge on beaches.“It was unusually quiet ...

By 8 a.m. on Tuesday, ornately decorated boats were already gliding down the Siem Reap River while other paddlers lounged on its shaded banks in preparation for the races at the center of this year’s biggest Water Festival celebration. ...

The government has vowed to crack down on coastal hotels and resorts that have restricted public access to beaches or constructed illegal encroachments within 50 metres of the shoreline.Tourism Minister Thong Khon warned yesterday that his ministry will give private companies a deadline to remove ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that boat racing will be allowed during next week’s water festival, but that the races would not be officially overseen. ...