Tourism

A decorative gate erected in Siem Reap province’s Angkor Archaeological Park for the upcoming Khmer New Year festivities was burned down in the early hours of yesterday morning, following a backlash against its so-called Vietnamese design. Siem Reap Deputy Governor Bun Tharith said the gate – ...

Preparations for this year’s Angkor Sangkran, Siem Reap’s largest cultural event, are almost complete, with half a million tourists expected to join in the celebration during Khmer New Year, according to provincial officials. Of the anticipated 500,000 visitors this year, the majority are expected to be ...

The National Assembly will likely approve a casino-management bill before the end of the year, which is aimed at doubling gambling revenues and bringing the industry on par with international standards, said a senior official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Ros Phearun, deputy director ...

Phnom Penh casino NagaWorld has announced that gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose 48 per cent year-on-year for the first quarter of 2015, largely on the back of returns from VIP clients. Nagacorp, the Hong Kong stock exchange-listed parent of NagaWorld, said in an unaudited report released ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Wednesday ordered police across the country to focus on investigating and arresting the leaders of illegal-drug syndicates rather than low-level traffickers and users. ...

Four Chinese tourists were sent to the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court on Tuesday after being arrested in Sihanoukville on Monday in possession of nearly $500 worth of counterfeit dollar bills, local authorities said. ...

At the Coffee Resort in Sen Monorom, the capital of Mondulkiri province, business is booming. In just an hour, about 50 tourists, local and foreign alike, come through, ordering coffee or avocado shakes to go. Coffee beans and avocados grow well here, and now, thanks to ...

Cambodia earned tax revenue of over 25 million U.S. dollars from casino industry in 2014, up 12 percent year-on-year, a local Cambodian Television Network (CTN) reported Monday, citing a senior finance official. ...

Siem Reap has been placed second among the world’s top 25 travel destinations in 2015, jumping seven places from last year’s ranking, as judged by leading online travel site TripAdvisor. ...

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. ...