Cambodia, which aims to attract one million Chinese tourists in 2023, has taken steps to make it easier for tourists to travel to the country and pay for goods and services.
The Ministry of Tourism officials on Monday held talks with UnionPay International, a subsidiary of China UnionPay, at the ministry office to discuss ways to boost digital payment options for tourists.
Nep Samuth, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Tourism, and other senior officials from the ministry met with Cai Huiming, general manager of UnionPay International Southeast Asia, regarding digital payment options, according to a statement from the ministry.
The discussions focused on cooperation on several initiatives, such as the China Ready assessment system, digital payments, digital literacy training for tour operators, and promoting the Cambodia Pass program.
“The meeting also discussed the promotion of Cambodian tourism destinations to the Chinese market directly through social and digital marketing, specifically through UnionPay’s network of Chinese banks in Southeast Asia and online,” according to an official.
The China Ready assessment system is a quality assurance program that aims to improve the quality of tourism services in Cambodia so that the industry can be ready to welcome Chinese tourists this year.
Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism Statistics on Monday and yesterday organized a workshop on tourism statistics and capacity building for professional officers in Battambang province. The workshop was chaired by Keut Puthvary, Undersecretary of State.
The seminar was attended by representatives from all municipal tourism departments, provinces, and departments, as well as 180 students.
The workshop was held to discuss the standards for compiling and processing tourism data, as well as the data consistency of the tourism statistics system. The workshop also covered the use of telecommunication and information technology, the dissemination of tourism statistics, key indicators, and how to improve the quality of tourism data.
Talking at a recent function in Phnom Penh, Chhuon Dara, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, also reiterated the importance of enhancing China-Cambodia relations in various sectors, including tourism.
“The two countries will co-organise various events to strengthen and expand cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and tourism, as well as other priority areas,” Dara said at the ninth Global Economic Development Forum (GEDF) and Cambodia Business Leaders’ Summit.
The tourism ministry is also planning to conduct sports events including golf and marathon to attract Chinese tourists.
A Cambodian-Chinese music event featuring Chinese and Cambodian celebrities is also scheduled to be held this year.
Cambodia, which targets around 4.3 million international tourists and 14 million domestic tourists in 2023, received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, generating revenue of around $1.8 billion.
It also expects to generate an income of $4 billion from the tourism sector this year.
The ministry’s ‘Visit Cambodia 2023’ intends to promote tourism through national events. The campaign aims to attract at least 19 million tourists.
Last year, the Kingdom attracted around 2.2 million international tourists, up from 200,000 international tourists in 2021.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting the Cambodian economy.
Earlier this year, Shi Zhongjun, Secretary General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) after a meeting with Tith Chantha, Permanent Secretary of State at the Ministry of Tourism, said that ACC would organize joint activities for ASEAN-China, especially with Cambodia such as Cambodia-China tourism destination promotion exhibition and tourism skill training support for Khmer and Chinese languages guides.
Source: www.khmertimeskh.comhttps://www.khmertimeskh.com/501295606/cambodia-explores-digital-payment-options-for-chinese-tourists/
