Tourism

Four Cambodian men were charged by the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court on Tuesday over the brutal beating and robbery of two expatriates on the holiday island of Koh Rong last week, a court official said. ...

Cambodia’s massage palours and spa centres are now required to have at least 30 per cent of their staff trained and certified or risk having their business permits revoked, according to a new directive from the Ministry of Tourism. The directive seeks to professionalise the practice ...

After more than six years of construction, the Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel and Residence officially opened its doors to the public yesterday, with Prime Minister Hun Sen on hand to inaugurate the city’s newest hotel. Speaking at the launch, Hun Sen said the Sokha Hotel will ...

A British national and a Finnish national were checked into Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh on Friday after being attacked with knives and batons on Koh Rong island off the coast of Siha­nouk­ville late Thursday night, according to police. ...

Sihanoukville police on Sunday arrested one of the men behind last week’s violent attack on two foreign nationals on Koh Rong island, identifying the suspect as a staff member at the guesthouse where the assault took place, according to officials. ...

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday that his country is seeking a Guinness World Record for a giant traditional sticky rice cake weighing 3.2 tons. ...

The National Assembly’s Anti-Corruption Commission will visit Siem Reap this month to further probe claims Angkor Archaeological Park’s manager, the Apsara Authority, underreported ticket sales, as new figures show a drop in visitors to the World Heritage site last month. ...

Two government ministers will meet with a National Assembly commission on Monday to discuss a tourism management plan for Bo­kor Mountain, according to CNRP lawmaker Yem Ponhea­rith, who last month visited the mountain to inspect burial sites popular with Vietnamese tourists. ...

Cambodia has long drawn tourists to sights ranging from the Khmer Rouge killing fields to the magnificent temples of Angkor. Now the country is looking to a new market: Chinese gamblers who are deserting Macau, the region’s traditional casino hub. ...

Minister for Social Affairs Vong Soth yesterday vowed to cut the amount of children in orphanages by 30 per cent within two years through a joint campaign with NGOs. Dubbed “Keep Families Together”, the initiative, backed by USAID, UNICEF and Friends International, will urge parents to ...

In May, circus artists from Phnom Penh, Battambang City and Siem Reap City will come together for the ninth Tini Tinou International Circus Festival, which was relaunched last year after being canceled in 2011 for financial reasons. ...

Minister for Social Affairs Vong Soth yesterday vowed to cut the amount of children in orphanages by 30 per cent within two years through a joint campaign with NGOs. Dubbed “Keep Families Together”, the initiative, backed by USAID, UNICEF and Friends International, will urge parents to ...

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday that the country is projected to receive about 5 million international visitors this year, a rise of 11 percent from 4.5 million last year. ...

Cambodia’s beaches and temples saw an increase in local and foreign tourists during the three-day Lunar New Year celebrations, according to figures released by provincial officials. Siem Reap, home to the world-renowned Angkor Archaeological Park and a major tourist destination, received around 69,200 visitors, an increase ...

Plans to bring the raucous 10-day rave Kazantip to Cambodian shores were in tatters Wednesday as hundreds of Russian revelers showed up at the bridge leading to Koh Puos island to find the way blocked by a 2-meter-high metal barricade. ...

Authorities in Preah Sihanouk province have had yet another change of heart about the notoriously wild Kazantip music festival, pulling the event from Sihanoukville’s Koh Puos island for a second time, with one official citing a desire to dissuade “indecent tourism.” ...

CNRP spokesman Yem Ponhearith said on Monday that he plans to summon four government ministers to parliament to determine whether a remote area of Kampot province’s Bokor Mountain used for prayer ceremonies by Vietnamese tourists could be turned into a Cambodian cultural site. ...

Cambodia is expected to welcome hundreds of Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year which starts late next week, Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon said. According to the minister, Cambodia received some 560,000 Chinese tourists in the whole year of 2014, up 20 percent year-on- ...

An opposition lawmaker probing alleged irregularities in Angkor Archaeological Park’s ticket revenues says he’s sceptical about figures released yesterday by the site’s managers showing a boost in sales last month. ...

Driving on National Road 6 through recently harvested rice fields, six 10-meter-tall structures emerge like vortexes from the sparse terrain. Not far along is the commotion of a country fair: bale mazes, archery games, face painting, a ferris wheel and blaring Khmer pop music. Welcome to ...

His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, personally joined in the togetherness in Cambodia by coming out on February 4 to greet the tourism and culture ministers who were in Cambodia for the first ever UNWTO and UNESCO World Conference ...

Hundreds of Vietnamese gamblers trying to get to casinos in Cambodia are testing tightened security at two border gates in Long An Province, and a crackdown at Binh Hiep Border Gate has opened a market for gangs facilitating illegal crossings or bribing guards. ...

On the back of a quest for high-rolling Chinese clients, NagaWorld’s gross gaming revenue soared 17 per cent in 2014, although profits were slightly down due to rising costs and lower profit margins from VIP customers. Gross gaming revenue clocked in at $381.4 million for 2014, ...

The 1st World Conference on Tourism and Culture kicked off here on Wednesday to discuss the challenges and lasting development opportunities for cultural tourism. ...