Tourism Rep Calls for Focus on Global Airlines

In order to draw more tourists during the current high season, the government needs to offer more incentives to airlines so that Cambodia can develop regular direct flights from Europe, North America and Australia, a tourism industry official said yesterday.

Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the Government-Private Sector Tour-ism Working Group, said currently there are no direct flights from Australia, Europe, and North America and more direct flights from outside Asia will make Cambodia more of a destination.

?At the moment Cambodia leans mostly on the neighboring countries to carry tourists to the ?Kingdom of Wonder,? but if we have the direct flights to Cambodia, it will save costs, they will spend more and extend their stay,? he said.

While the number of visitors to Cambodia from January to October this year has increased 1.55 percent over the same period last year, air arrivals have decreased more than 12 percent, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Mr Vandy said more airline passengers were needed to help the tourism sector through the high season and the private sector has asked the Ministry of Tourism to offer incentives for more airlines to make Phnom Penh one of their destinations.

Minister of Tourism Thon Khong declined to comment yesterday as he was busy.

Luu Meng, president of the Hoels? Association of Cambodia, said it appears that this high season, which began in December, will be a better one than the 2008-2009 high season, though tourists are spending less than previous years because of the global economic crisis.

?I think the people are spending more carefully, and...now hotels have more competitive prices than lastyear,? Mr Meng said.

An influx of visitors by air, who tend to spend more money, would give the industry a boost, he said

Khek Norinda, communications and marketing manager for Societe Concessionaire de l?Aeroport, which operates Cambodia?s two international airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, said that SCA is already trying to persuade the current airlines that fly to Cambodia to increase their flights while also trying to attract new airline companies.

?For our new airport in Sihanoukville, that is fully operational, we have offered preferred conditions to help airlines develop their operations there,? he wrote in an email, adding by telephone later that incentives would include a 100 percent discount on costly ground handling services.

Sourced = The Cambodia Daily