Cambodia still troubled by war history

Cambodia’s tourism minister, Thong Khon, admits the nation’s war history continues to reduce its  ability to compete with neighbouring countries in tourism and economic development.

The minister told the Phnom Penh Post Monday that Cambodia cannot yet compete in tourism  with the rest of the region because of its history. He was commenting on findings released by the latest World Economic Forum report on global tourism competitiveness. It  was ranked the  lowest of  eight ASEAN member countries monitored in the study. Laos and Myanmar were excluded.

“Our competitors have a lot of infrastructure and had fewer wars to contend with,” he said, adding that it is difficult to compare the country to the rest of Southeast Asia..

However, he claimed the government was making progress. “We are on the way to developing infrastructure and in the near future Cambodia will attract far more tourists.”

The Government-Private Sector Working Group on Tourism co-chair, Ho Vandy, said Cambodia’s tourism sector still needed time, but it was in good shape.

“Day-by-day we see the development of infrastructure and entertainment facilities…We are trying to promote the kingdom, especially to young visitors and ensure they keep returning,” he said.

In January, the country welcomed 404,106 international tourists increasing 15.37% when compared to 350,257 during the same month in 2012.

According to  the World Economic Forum study, Cambodia ranked last in travel and tourism competitiveness among eight Southeast Asian countries.

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013, which excluded Laos and Myanmar, positioned Cambodia at 106th out of 140 countries this year, compared to 109th in 2011. It had the lowest ranking in ASEAN apart from Myanmar and Laos.

Best in travel and tourism in Southeast Asia was Singapore, which ranked 10th in the world, the report said. Malaysia was next, followed by Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Thailand ranked 43rd overall, a fall of two places since 2011, due to natural disasters and political unrest which the country has been grappling”, the report said.

The Philippines was the most improved country among the Asia-Pacific nations.

While the number of international tourist arrivals in Cambodia is increasing, the sector is still lacking a regulatory framework, an effective business environment and infrastructure, as well as human, cultural and natural resources, the report said.

The report’s data set includes findings from the World Economic Forum’s annual Executive Opinion Survey and quantitative data from publicly available sources, international organisations, institutions and experts.

According to its website, the World Economic Forum is an independent international organisation committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews