Chinese bypass the local fare

Hui Tien Jien has eaten at a Chinese restaurant called Old Place Seafood two times – and he’s been in Phnom Penh for only two days. …

Chinese restaurants in Phnom Penh are spreading in response to a flood of tourists from China: tourists who insist on eating their own cuisine while travelling.

The restaurants, especially Cantonese and Hong Kong-style seafood places, are growing 60 to 70 per cent faster than their competitors, said Van Porleng, president of the Cambodia Restaurant Association. …

From 2010 to 2012 the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia almost doubled. Last year, about 333,000 Chinese touched down in Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Tourism, which hopes to raise that figure to one million by 2020. Chinese neighbourhoods also exist throughout the city, and many Cambodians have Chinese ancestry. …

The government has taken note. In June, officials announced the creation of a Chinatown in Cambodia to cater to tourists. …

Old Place Seafood opened earlier this year, and is the second version of the brand in Phnom Penh (the first is on Monivong Boulevard). The investors poured $4 million into the two-storey restaurant, which can fit 600. …

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/chinese-bypass-local-fare