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Editorial
A daily summary of local khmer news & events
presented by Cambodia2U Senior News Editors.
19th April 2022
Khmer New Year celebration lifts economic recovery hopes
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Cambodia ended last week’s three-day holiday of Khmer New Year, when 4.58 million people toured nationwide, a positive move benefiting local tourism-related businesses that have been recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tourism-related businesses – accommodation services, restaurants, and transportation – saw full booking, the Tourism Ministry said.
The success of this year’s New Year celebrations, after a two-year hiatus, reflects the herd immunity to Covid-19.
Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said an unexpected number of tourists visited the main tourist destinations during the holiday.
“Boutique hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation services in almost all provinces that have been able to reopen business have received almost 100 percent bookings while restaurants and cafes were also almost full during these three days,” he said.
“This influx of tourists has created huge economic benefits nationally and locally,” Khon said.
“The private sector is happy with the influx of visitors beyond expectations on the occasion of the New Year and is very optimistic about the recovery of tourism, particularly following the lifting of strict measures for vaccinated tourists,” Khon added.\
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18th April 2022
Siem Reap hotels report full occupancy over Khmer New Year
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Hotels in Cambodia’s tourist center of Siem Reap hit almost 100 percent occupancy over the Khmer New Year holiday as over 400,000 tourists travelled to the province, but a full recovery for industry is still looking to be a long-time coming.
This year was the first Khmer New Year to happen without almost no restrictions on movement since 2019, Siem Reap’s vital hospitality industry was certainly confident that things would be busy, but few would have expected just how big a deal it would be.
According to the Ministry of Tourism there was a total of 400,591 people to the Siem Reap Province over the four day period.
Pub Street, the town’s tourist hotspot, finally looked like it did prior to COVID, bars and restaurants were full and tens of thousands hit the streets as people took full advantage of the hawkers selling overpriced water pistols, guns and suitable attire.
The town’s hotels though were some of the biggest winners, with occupancy rates across all standards hitting 100 percent for the first time since long before the outbreak.
Booking sites report 98 percent occupancy
Occupancy rates first started to increase last week when according to leading hotel reservation site booking.com hotels were at 72 percent full, which had risen to 98 percent by Thursday – Khmer New Year’s Day.
Speaking to Cambodia Investment Review Tim Scott owner of Star Bar and Hotel said: “By Tuesday you could see things were getting crazy and people started to double and triple their prices. Even when the booking sites were reporting 98 percent full, the few hotels that were available were anything from 5-25km away. We had to turn down many a bemused tourist looking for accommodation”.
Another hotel owner said: “After we saw others raising their prices we simply quadrupled ours and still filled every room with ease”.
And it was not just at the lower end that hotels were booked out, with Ewan Taylor, the newly employed General-Manager of the high end Shinta Mani Angkor Pool Villas, one of the most prestigious hotels in the city also fully booked.
He told Cambodia Investment Review: “We’d initially reopened the 10 Bensley Collection Pool Villas in November of last year, but managed to get our 39 Angkor Rooms ready for April 1st, as well as our Kroya Restaurant specifically in time for the new year rush and were at full capacity. The hotel though is not yet fully open, with us planning to reopen the remaining 115 rooms by November”.
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18th April 2022
Almost a third of Cambodia’s population crisscross nation during traditional new year holiday
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Cambodia’s three-day traditional New Year, came to an end with 4.59 million people traveling to various tourist attractions, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Sunday.
Khon said that of the total, there were 28,849 foreign tourists.
“All tourist destinations had been opened and attracted crowds of tourists,” he said in a report.
“The number of tourists during the three-day New Year holiday this year is almost comparable to the pre-COVID-19 new year celebration in 2019, when 4.72 million tourists were recorded.”
Security, safety and public order had been ensured during the holiday, he said, adding that the cultural province of Siem Reap, the capital city Phnom Penh, and the coastal provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, and Kep were among the kingdom’s most popular tourist destinations.
“Confidence in the effectiveness of vaccines has allowed our people to travel to all tourist attractions across the country during the New Year holiday,” Khon said.
The southeast Asian nation celebrated the traditional New Year from Thursday to Saturday after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had said on Saturday that New Year festivities were organized at villages, pagodas, schools, public venues and tourist attractions across the country.
“Thanks to the high rate of vaccinations and comprehensive peace that we have achieved over the past 24 years, our people can now travel everywhere,” he said in a speech during the inauguration ceremony of a large couple statue in the southwestern Preah Sihanouk province.
Cambodia has fully resumed its socio-economic activities and reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers without quarantine since last November after most of its population have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
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16th April 2022
First day of KNY sees more than 860,000 tourists nationwide
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According to Ministry of Tourism Minister Thong Khon, the first day of the Khmer New Year on April 14 saw a total of 862,897 tourists across the country, of which 854,654 were nationals and 8,243 were foreigners.
Major tourist destinations saw 160,740 people in Kampong Chhnang; 107,254 people in Battambang; Siem Reap, 107,014; Pursat, 83,896;Kampong Cham, 57,430; Prey Veng, 56,002; Kampong Speu, 49,288; Phnom Penh 38,972; and Banteay Meanchey 37,316 people.
“The number of visitors on the first day of Khmer New Year was much higher than when there was no outbreak of Covid-19 in 2019. In fact, there was an increase of 5.68% compared to the first day of the New Year in 2019 with 816,469 people,” he said.
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16th April 2022
Officials: 'Win-Win' policy, peace to thank for first Siem Reap Songkran in two years
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This year's joyful celebrations of Khmer New Year in Siem Reap after a two-year Covid-19 hiatus are possible thanks to Prime Minister Hun Sen's "Win-Win" policy that brought about comprehensive peace in Cambodia and "successful" nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, said the provincial administration.
The "Siem Reap Songkran" this year sees the likes of Minister of National Defense Tea Banh and many other high-profile figures from the parliament and the government, with religious ceremonies observed and traditional games played at some temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park.
“Our people are grateful to Prime Minister Hun Sen's win-win policy that brought about peace and prosperity gradually to our nation, especially new achievements including the revamped 38 roads in Siem Reap, which the premier has declared the 'rising star of the north',” the provincial administration said on April 14, the first day of the New Year.
“Local visitors thank Prime Minister Hun Sen for providing free Covid-19 vaccinations, both basic doses and booster shot. These, coupled with his 'three dos and three dont's' health guidelines have enabled us all to gather and enjoy this moment together.”
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15th April 2022
In pictures: New Year starts off with crowds packing tourist destinations
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The first day of the traditional Khmer New Year, which started yesterday, saw more than 860,000 tourists packing tourist destinations.
The minister said the total number of guests was 862,897, of which 854,654 were nationals and 8,243 were foreigners.
The main tourist destinations yesterday were:
Kampong Chhnang 160,740 people
Battambang Province 107,254 people
Siem Reap Province 107,014 people
Pursat Province 83,896 people
Kampong Cham Province 57,430 people
Prey Veng Province 56,002 people
49,288 people in Kampong Speu province,
38,972 people in Phnom Penh,
37,316 people in Banteay Meanchey province.
This number is even higher than in 2019, before the pandemic – being an increase of 5.68% compared to the first day of the new year in 2019 with 816,469 people.
Click on the above image for all of the photos as taken from the provinces.
15th April 2022
Prime Minister of Australia sends New Year Wishes to Cambodian people
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The Hon Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia, has extended his best wishes to the Cambodian people on the occasion of the Khmer Traditional New Year taking place from April 14 to 16, 2022.
Below is the Australian Premier’s full message:
“Choun por ch ‘nam thmey!
I send my warmest wishes for a happy and peaceful Khmer New Year.
The symbols and ceremonies of this festival call to young and old. The treasured sharing of faith and culture brings friends, families and communities together.
Steeped in ancient tradition, the New Year message of goodwill, thankfulness, cleansing and renewal uplifts and inspires. As we farewell another tough year, this is a message that speaks to Australians.
I know that the pandemic has brought sadness and longing. Family plans have been disrupted and many Australians have experienced the heartbreak of losing loved ones.
I want to thank you for helping to keep us all safe-looking after each other and ensuring the wellbeing of those around you.
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14th April 2022
Cambodia celebrates New Year after two years
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Cambodia kicked off the Khmer New Year with much ado today after the country and the people were forced to avoid the traditional annual festivities for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many had prepared to start the three-day celebrations of the solar new year by sprucing up their houses and stocking up on fruits and drinks to welcome the “New Angels” into their homes.
The Khmer New Year, considered to be the greatest traditional festival in the country, started with Khmers seeking blessings through prayers and offerings to monks at temples.
As with custom, people also gathered in public places to play traditional games, the most popular being Troddi, a folk dance to drive out bad luck in the past year and for good ones in the new year.
There are many games played and among the popular ones are Leak Kanseng, Chol Chhoung, Bos Angkunh, Tean Proat and Veay Ka-om.
13th April 2022
‘Khmer Day’ to be promoted at Siem Reap’s Sankranta Village
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Khmer Day’ wherein all participants are encouraged to where Khmer traditional clothes will be observed on April 15 at Sankranta Village organised at Chao Say Tevoda Temple in Siem Reap.
The notification was shared by Van Vannak, Organising Manager of Sankranta Village event, stressing that the Khmer Day was the one day picked from the five-day organisation of Sankranta Village at Chao Say Tevoda Temple.
The Khmer Day was initiated by Siem Reap Governor Tea Seiha to go along with the Sankranta celebration in the province to cheer the in-coming Khmer New Year.
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13th April 2022
U.S. Secretary of State extends New Year wishes to Cambodian people
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H.E. Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State has sent best wishes to the Cambodian people on the occasion of their Traditional New Year 2022.
“On behalf of the United States of America, I extend my best wishes to the Cambodian people on the occasion of the Khmer New Year,” he wrote in his message dated April 12.
“As Cambodians gather to celebrate, we are reminded of Cambodia’s rich and vibrant culture. We are honored to continue building the strong cultural connections between the United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia, and we look forward to further advancing our relationship to build a more prosperous, democratic, and independent Cambodia,” he underlined.
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11th April 2022
Essential Cambodia: A guide for foreign entrepreneurs, investors and managers
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A Cambodian-American author Allen Dodgson Tan, who came to Cambodia 12 years ago, launched a book, Essential Cambodia, on Saturday at SOSORO Museum, Phnom Penh, to help foreign entrepreneurs, investors and managers
Tan said he wrote the book after holding more than 20 interviews with successful foreign and local business people and countless conversations with those across the business community.
“I hope that this book will help foreigners working in Cambodia to be successful and thrive in the Kingdom,” he said, adding, “Cambodia is naturally a foreigner-friendly country that welcomes businesses from across the globe. Many of the frustrations our foreign guests experience come from simple misunderstandings that can be easily corrected. My purpose in writing this book was to provide a resource for those new to Kingdom. They may learn from the decades of experience of those I have learned from.”
Unlike many books on Cambodian business, Tan’s work focuses on the overall business landscape and culture rather than the legal and regulatory aspects of a business. The book highlights potential differences in thinking between European and local customs and norms.
Tan also pointed out some unfair international representations of Cambodia. He acknowledged that challenges exist for all businesses in Cambodia but that these will be significantly reduced when one understands the business environment correctly.
He found that it must learn to accept things they cannot change and then adapt. However, one of his key observations of those who are not successful in Cambodia is that they spend much energy fighting against the system negatively and complaining about how everyone is doing things the wrong way. While these individuals may be factually correct, it is rarely a productive strategy.
Mey Kalyan, Senior Advisor to Supreme National Economic Council, said language and partnership are key to success. He said, “If you want to succeed in the Kingdom, find a good partner.”
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8th April 2022
PM issues Khmer New Year message
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has listed key achievements by the Royal Government and extended his best wishes to Cambodians for the up-coming Khmer New Year
According to the PM, this year is the fourth year of the Royal Government for the 6th legislature of National Assembly guided by the phase-four Rectangular Strategy, and the Royal Government is making possible wide-spread vaccination against COVID-19 and starting to gradually reopen the country.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic leading the decrease in tourism and service sector, he wrote, Cambodia’s economy grew at 2.4 percent in 2021 and was estimated to increase to 4.8 percent this year.
Well managed macro-economic policy has secured US$45,576 million international trade with US$17,682 million worth export, and the international reserve fund has risen to US$21.6 billion.
Cambodia has 1,879 factories and manufacturers and 43,258 small and medium enterprises and handicrafts employing roughly 1.4 million people, and the minimum monthly salary for civil servants has increased to approximately US$285.
Gross domestic product per capita increased from US$1,683 in 2020 to US$1,730 in 2021, he added.
The country continues to ensure social and political stability, build and rehabilitate many physical infrastructures, expand access to electricity to 100 percent of the total 14,168 villages, up from the current 97.53 percent, increase milled and paddy rice production, and improve public health services.
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8th April 2022
Phnom Penh police to deploy over 2,000 personnel for New Year
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The Phnom Penh Municipal Police will deploy more than 2,000 men to enhance security and maintain public order during the upcoming Khmer New Year and Sangkranta events.
Municipal police chief Lieutenant General Sar Thet chaired a meeting on Wednesday to discuss operational plans and preparations for the traditional New Year events.
Lt Gen Thet also instructed the police force at all levels to pay close attention to public safety and carry out their duties sincerely.
He added that all traffic police personnel should ensure smooth traffic movements at entry points to Phnom Penh and reduce congestion. He also urged the police to be in uniform and guide the people in a kind and gentle way.
“I would like to advise all units under the Phnom Penh Municipal Police to communicate and cooperate well and provide accurate information to the public,” he said.
Lt Gen Thet also warned against the spread of false information that could lead to confusion among the people.
Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesman Colonel San Sok Seiha said more than 2,000 police officers will be on security duty during the New Year.
Sok Seiha added that the National Police have been deployed in all divisions, including the 14 district police stations, communes and they will be mostly used for traffic management.
“We have observed that when the Khmer New Year approaches, Cambodians travel to their hometowns, which causes traffic jams at entry and exit points around Phnom Penh and requires the deployment of extra forces,” he said.
He added that among more than 2,000 police forces, members of the National Police will take up positions at key locations, such as pagodas, entertainment venues and crowded areas.
Spokesman for the National Military Police Brigadier General Eng Hy said that the force was ready to provide security and safety for the people throughout the country.
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7th April 2022
Cambodian Tourism Association expects tourism boom for first ‘full’ Khmer New Year for 2 years
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The President of the Cambodian Tourism Association says that she expects a boom in tourism for Khmer New Year, saying that Cambodia’s coastal provinces are already almost fully booked.
Lok Chumteav Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodian Tourism Association (CATA), said that with the New Year approaching, people are already booking hotels, guesthouses and private resort adding that the coastal provinces have almost full bookings,
She said that Siem Reap is also proving to be a very popular destination for the forthcoming Khmer New Year, which will be the first to be fully celebrated after 2020 and 2021 were cut back because of the pandemic.
7th April 2022
Wat Phnom event on the cards for Khmer New Year
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Phnom Penh Municipal Hall on April 1 announced that it would organise an event in the Wat Phnom area to celebrate the Khmer New Year from April 14-16, and engage the audience with traditional forms of entertainment.
The event will include traditional and popular games, folk dances and exhibition of old- and new-style paintings, as well as prayers at the Daun Penh statue southwest of the grassy hill and ceremonious sand-hill building, the municipal hall said in a notice.
However, to avoid a potential outbreak of the coronavirus Omicron variant, the notice said that all revellers, artists and entertainers must have completed their Covid-19 vaccine primary series and gotten a booster.
All participants at the event must observe the standard preventive measures as applicable at each venue and activity, it said. “Everyone has to mask up, wash their hands with sanitising gel, and keep personal distance.”
6th April 2022
High hopes for new Siem Reap International Airport by 2023
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Siem Reap’s return to form rests on many variables, but few of them weigh as much as the upcoming Siem Reap Angkor International Airport. The new airport began construction in March 2020 and is currently over 20% complete, with the runway expected to be completed later in May 2022. Other facilities being constructed include roads, airport parking routes and landing systems.
The new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport is a category 4E airport with a runway measuring 3,600 metres and a width of 45 metres. This categorization allows the airport’s runway to accommodate large aircraft commonly utilized for intercontinental flights.
The new airport is located in Tayek commune, Sot Nikum district and is about 51km away from Siem Reap City proper and 40km away from the Angkor Wat temple. The move to build a new airport was due to rising concerns of potential noise and vibration damage coming from the current airport to the centuries-old Angkor Wat temples.
During a recent site inspection attended by Prime Minister Hun Sen, His Excellency has high hopes that the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport will be operational by its initial opening date in Q4 2023.
“Siem Reap Angkor International Airport will play an invaluable role in boosting tourism and the overall economy when it launches next year” said PM Hun Sen.
Completion of the airport’s first phase will allow it to accommodate more than 7 million passengers and 10,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It is worth noting that the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport is built on 700 hectares of land with a remaining land area of 1000 hectares earmarked for a special economic zone or industrial zone to be built near the airport as well as an expressway directly connecting the airport to Siem Reap city itself.
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6th April 2022
Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Air Asia target Cambodians for medical tourism
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The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Thai Air Asia have teamed up to attract up to 1,000 package tours of medical and wellness segments from Cambodia.
This comes as both entities aim to attract 1.75 million tourists from short-haul markets this year as more countries reopen, and will partner with Thai AirAsia (TAA) to bring in at least 18,000 package tours over the next few months.
Thanet Phetsuwan, TAT deputy governor of marketing for Asia and the South Pacific, said the authority has to actively promote tourism as airlines are resuming international flights, borders are being lifted, and people are learning to live with Covid-19.
TAT wants 1.1 million tourists from Southeast Asia to visit this year, given that they can now largely travel without restrictions, while cross-border tourism could get even easier.
The goal for Australia is around 200,000 tourists, while for India it is 450,000.
Mr Thanet said TAT has partnered with TAA to boost international visitors by launching joint promotions in different countries to attract at least 18,000 inbound package tours between April and July.
The goal is for Vietnam to account for 11,000 package tours, mainly from independent travellers and families with children, and 3,000 Singaporean tours, made up of millennials and young couples.
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5th April 2022
Cambodia committed to Angkor’s preservation
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Prime Minister Hun Sen Monday reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to adhere to all requirements to preserve the Angkor temples as one of the World Heritage sites of UNESCO.
Addressing at the inauguration ceremony of 38-road development project in Siem Reap provincial city, Hun Sen said Cambodia will not let Angkor Wat be removed from the UNESCO World Heritage List.
“We cannot compare the real estate development in Siem Reap to other cities. If we act recklessly, our Angkor Wat may be removed from the World Heritage List,” he warned.
“Cambodia does not lack space for real estate development.”
The Premier expressed his gratitude to the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), the Co-Chairs France and Japan, and UNESCO for all the preservation work of Angkor temples.
According to UNESCO, Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 square kilometres, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century.
They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations. UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings.
For several centuries Angkor, was the centre of the Khmer Kingdom. With impressive monuments, several different ancient urban plans and large water reservoirs, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional civilisation.
Temples such as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, exemplars of Khmer architecture, are closely linked to their geographical context as well as being imbued with symbolic significance.
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5th April 2022
New International Airport in Siem Reap will help kick start Cambodia’s economy and tourism
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said in Siem Reap on Sunday that Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport will play an important role in boosting the kingdom’s economy and tourism when it comes online in late 2023.
The prime minister made the remarks during a visit to the construction site of the airport in Sotr Nikum district, about 40 km from the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park and 50 km from Siem Reap provincial town.
“We’re lucky to have a good friend like China and this project is another fruit of cooperation between Cambodia and China,” Hun Sen said.
“This large scale international airport will bring a boost to the economic development in our northern region, including the provinces of Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear,” he said.
Hun Sen explained that the construction of the new airport is to respond to the expected growth of foreign tourists to the Angkor Archaeological Park in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era and that it will be capable of accommodating 7 million passengers a year in the first phase.
Covering a parcel of 700 hectares, the new airport is licensed and being invested by Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., an affiliate of China’s Yunnan Investment Holdings Ltd.
He said the airport is being developed under the 55-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) model in which five years for the construction and 50 years for business operations.
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4th April 2022
Up to 700,000 foreign tourists expected to visit Cambodia this year
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Up to 700,000 international visitors are expected to visit Cambodia this year, after the Royal Government had recently eased the entry rules.
According to Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, in the first three months of this year, 151,680 foreign tourists were recorded in Cambodia, an increase of 114 percent in the same period last year.
Of them, he pointed out, 86,588 arrived in Cambodia by air, up 158 percent; 63,048 by land, up 69 percent; and 2,044 by waterway (no tourists arrived by waterway in the first quarter of 2021).
The Minister added that most of the international visitors from ASEAN (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia), Asia (China, Korea, Japan), Europe (France, the UK), and America (the U.S.).
For domestic tourism, some 2.8 million visitors were registered from January to March 2022, up 48 percent.
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4th April 2022
Thailand’s reopening gathers steam as more flights land in Phnom Penh International Airport
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Thailand’s reopening to foreign travellers took another big step forward on Friday as pre-travel RT-PCR tests and certificate requirements ended for visitors arriving under the Test & Go, Sandbox and quarantine programmes, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha calling on businesses and the public to ensure there were no hiccups.
“From now on, if anything happens, we must accept collective responsibility. But we have made full preparations. I listened to the pros and cons and have eased restrictions wherever possible.
“But if anything [untoward] comes to pass, we will have to go back to square one. This is the difficult part of running the country,” Gen Prayut said.
From Friday, people who enter the country through one of the programmes will be given an RT-PCR test on arrival.
The opening up of Thailand with minimum entry requirements has also benefitted are travel between Thailand and Cambodia.
Yesterday at 1030am, there were three planes from Thailand berthed at the aerobridge at Phnom Penh International Airport. There were the usual Thai Smile, Bangkok Airways and then there was the Thai Vietjet flight.
Flights from Malaysia too, although fewer in number and less consistent, were also flying in full with yesterday’s Malaysia Airlines flight to Phnom Penh packed with travellers, mostly western fliers.
All this augurs well for Cambodia to benefit as well from the opening up of its neighbours.
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2nd April 2022
International tourists to Cambodia up 114 pct in Q1
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Cambodia received a total of 151,680 foreign visitors in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 114 percent from 70,901 arrivals recorded in the same period last year, a senior tourism official said on Friday.
Kong Sopheareak, director of Tourism Statistics Department at the Ministry of Tourism, said that of the total, 86,588 tourists arrived in the Southeast Asian country by air during the January-March period, up 158 percent year-on-year.
“Neighboring Vietnam topped the chart of the international tourist arrivals to Cambodia, followed by Thailand and China,” he told Xinhua.
“During the first quarter of this year, there were 1,012 flights to capital Phnom Penh, 144 flights to Siem Reap province and 55 flights to Preah Sihanouk province,” he said.
Sopheareak said the sharp rise in the number of foreign visitors came after the country fully resumed its socio-economic activities and reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers without quarantine since the middle of November last year following most of its 16 million population having been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“With our quarantine free policy, we’re confident that tourists will consider Cambodia as a key destination for their vacations and we hope to attract between 600,000 and 700,000 international tourists in 2022, an expected rise from only 200,000 in 2021,” he said.
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2nd April 2022
‘Reserve’ PM: Lt Gen Manet could take over at any time, says Hun Sen
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Prime Minister Hun Sen said that despite his standing for election next year, Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) Commander Lieutenant General Hun Manet, chosen to be the future premier candidate for the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), will not be sidelined and could succeed him at any time.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Choam Chao flyover and underpass in Phnom Penh yesterday, Mr Hun Sen, who is also the CPP president, said he will continue to stand for the 2023 National Election as Prime Minister candidate and Lt Gen Manet is the “reserve” one.
However, he hinted that the nomination of Lt Gen Manet as future Prime Minister is a precaution to avoid any eventual problems after the election, saying Lt Gen Manet is his “reserve” successor.
“Reserving the next generation is something that must be prepared, otherwise a crisis will occur. For example, if suddenly Hun Sen is gone, who will continue? So there has to be a clear decision from the party,” he said. “It’s the way the party works, we also have other preparations.”
Lt Gen Manet, who is also the deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), was unanimously elected by the party’s Central Committee to be the future Prime Minister at the end of last year.
Lt Gen Manet, 44, is one of 37 members of the CPP’s Standing Committee of the Central Committee. He was promoted to be head of the CPP’s youth wing in June 2020.
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1st April 2022
Donald Trump To Open Golf & Casino Resort In Battambang
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Battambang: According to American media, former US President Donald J. Trump has purchased a 1000 hectare tract of land in Samlot District, Battambang province.
A spokesman for the Trump Organization has confirmed that plans have been submitted for approval to incorporate a 18th hole golf course, hotel and casino complex, under the name of ‘Trump Bambu’.
Lymore McSpaniel Jr, a senior executive working for Trump announced the development on Twitter- a platform that the 45th Commander-In-Chief was banned from in January 2021.
McSpaniel later told reporters by telephone from New York, that although the proposal had yet to be approved by the Cambodian authorities, he was was confident that a MoU was just ‘days away’, and forwarded questions to the new enterprise’s CEO in Southeast Asia, James Dümpkarsch.
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1st April 2022
14th Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival returns to Long Beach this weekend
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The 14th annual Cambodia Town Parade and Cultural Festival will return to the streets of Long Beach this weekend after two years of pandemic-induced virtual celebrations.
The celebration, scheduled for Sunday, April 3, will start with a parade through Cambodia Town and end with a festival in MacArthur Park, where there will be live dance performances, Cambodian food vendors and booths from local shops and businesses.
Long Beach has the largest concentration of Cambodian people outside of the Southeast Asian nation itself.
“We have more than 2,000 years of cultural heritage,” said Richer San, a co-chair of the parade and festival, “and we want to bring some of it to share with our Long Beach community.”
The event will start at 9 a.m. at Anaheim Street and Cherry Avenue with a meeting of interfaith leaders. Leaders from the local Christian, Muslim and Buddhist communities will begin the celebration with a blessing and a few words before the parade heads west at 10 a.m., San said.
The parade, which will include three floats and marchers, will go west on Anaheim Street until they reach Warren Avenue, San said, where MacArthur Park is. From there, around noon, the festival will begin. San said he expects at least 1,000 people to show up.
At the festival, there will be live performances of traditional Cambodian dancing. A group of Hmong dancers will also perform, he said, and a group of Cambodian Muslims will be there to share history and culture.
“The festival is to share our culture with the community,” San said. “We focus on sharing the rich culture and heritage of the Khmer community.”
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April, 2022
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