Tourism Facing Multiple Strains: Official

Cambodia’s second-largest earner of foreign income, tourism, is starting to feel the effects of a prolonged economic downturn and the unstable political situation in Thailand, tourism experts said Thursday.

The number of foreign visitors was down slightly for the first quarter of 2009, dropping 2.23 percent compared to the same period in 2008, but, officials said, those visitors who do come are spending less money.

“This decline has nothing to do with Cambodia’s performance,” said Ang Kim Eang, president of Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

The industry is facing a swath of problems, from the global downturn, a wobbly government in Bangkok, the spread of the H1N1 virus, and even oil price hikes, he said.

Some have blamed Cambodia’s lack of a national airline for the decline, he said, and are hoping for a new tourism law and an open-sky policy, as well visas on arrival and an expansion of attractions.

Even with the slight decline, the number of tourists from the region has risen. Visitors from the Philippines, Laos Malaysia and Vietnam have boosted business for small hotels, he said.

“Therefore, big and luxurious hotels have faced some difficulties in losing their customers...as tourists now spend less money,” Ang Kim Eang said.

To stay competitive in the downturn and to keep numbers up, tourism professionals should target specific countries, said Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the Tourism Working Group, who was also a guest on Thursday’s show.

“What we have advised for the government is related to the promotion of targeting specific tourist groups, Japan or Korea, for instance”

Source: VOA/July-2009

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Welcome to Cambodia: World Tourism Day (WTD) 2012

World Tourism Day (WTD) 2012

World Tourism Day (WTD) 2012 is being held under the theme Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development. Official celebrations will take place in Maspalomas, Spain (Sept 27).

This year’s theme aims to highlight tourism’s role in a brighter energy future; a future in which the world’s entire population has access to modern, efficient and affordable energy services.

Tourism, one of the world’s largest economic sectors, has already taken important steps towards this future – improving energy efficiency and increasingly using renewable energy technologies in its operations. These steps are creating jobs, lifting people out of poverty and helping to protect the planet.

Be part of World Tourism Day 2012! Take part in the photo competition, go to online energy school, let us know how you will be celebrating and keep checking back for more information on WTD activities and celebrations.

Tourism & Sustainable Energy: gearing up for World Tourism Day 2012
PR No.: PR12042,Madrid,27 Jun 12

Launching the World Tourism Day 2012 (27 September) campaign, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, has called on all tourism stakeholders to “play their part in reaching the United Nations goal of achieving sustainable energy for all by 2030”.

World Tourism Day (WTD) 2012 will be celebrated under the theme ‘Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development’, inviting everyone involved in tourism – from governments to businesses and tourists themselves – to learn more about the sustainable energy initiatives in place in the tourism sector, debate what more should be done and advance the use of sustainable energy in tourism.

“Tourism is leading the way in some of the world’s most innovative sustainable energy initiatives,” says Mr. Rifai in his official WTD message. “Energy efficient upgrades to aircraft, the shift to renewable fuel for aviation and cruise liners, energy technology solutions in hotels, as well as countless other initiatives are placing tourism at the forefront of the clean energy transformation.”

These initiatives are crucial for sustainable development, continues Mr. Rifai, helping to cut tourism’s carbon emissions, enabling businesses to grow and create jobs, and bringing modern and affordable energy services to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities – goals in line with the 2012 UN International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.

The Secretary-General’s message is part of the WTD 2012 campaign, which also includes the annual WTD photo competition, the upcoming Twitter competition and access to resources on the relationship between tourism and energy. This year, UNWTO is also inviting everyone to visit the ‘online energy school’, as part of Hotel Energy Solutions, a UNWTO-initiated project designed to help hoteliers cut their carbon emissions and costs. The launch of the WTD campaign comes one week after governments, the private sector, civil society and other groups meeting at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) committed US$ 323 billion to achieving sustainable energy for all by 2030.

Official WTD celebrations will take place on 27 September in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain, and include a Think Tank on the 2012 theme with the participation of top experts and policy makers in the field of tourism and energy. The Think Tank will be one of hundreds of events taking place around the world in celebration of WTD.

About World Tourism Day

World Tourism Day (WTD) is held annually on 27 September.

Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

Source: UNWTO

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Welcome to Cambodia: International Traval Expo, Hong Kong (ITE) 2012 on 14th-17th June, at Hong Kong, China

International Traval Expo, Hong Kong (ITE) 2012 on 14th-17th June, at Hong Kong, China

Substantial and continuing expansions by past exhibitors, and new exhibitors enable ITE & MICE expanding from 2 halls in 2004 to 5 halls since 2008. With nearly 80% of exhibitors and 26% of buyers / trade visitors from outside Hong Kong, ITE & MICE gains wide recognition as effective platform for international travel trade to cover the fast growing Asian markets.

ITE & MICE integrates successfully leisure and MICE travel, highlights themes like cruise and wellness, and maintains separate trade days and public days. Our exhibitors can have access, each in good numbers, to the travel trade, corporations, the event industry, trade and public media, and also quality public visitors who more and more select traveling in FIT.

Regional trade & corporate visitors – 26% from mainland China & Asia;
International exhibitors – 30 plus pavilions by tourism boards from different continents; 80% exhibitors from outside Hong Kong;

Well attended by both trade & public media from Asia;

Public days drew quality visitors – over 80% travel in FIT / tailor made groups;

Extensive supports by tourism authorities & trade associations in Asia;

Free assistance to stage seminars and in publicity;

Mainland China & Hong Kong are respectively Asia’s first and fourth source markets.

ITE & ITE MICE are among the few travel fairs in Asia offering two full professional days for trade and corporate visitors. Also, a unique arrangement of holding leisure and MICE travel concurrently for synergy since 2005 resulted in the number of corporate visitors grew by times. ITE & MICE are supported by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO). Official Air, Cathay and Dragonair sponsor our hosted buyer program. Supports also come from event industry associations and international chambers of commerce in Hong Kong and neighbouring cities, and travel agent associations in different parts of Asia.

Source: TopChinaTravel

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Welcome to Cambodia: Economist Sees Potential in Tourism and Beyond

Welcome to Cambodia: Economist Sees Potential in Tourism and Beyond

Chheang Vannarith is the executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace.

Raised by a single mother under the poverty line in Kampong Thom province, he was able to attain a PhD in Asia-Pacific studies.

“Living through civil wars and hardship empowered me to overcome obstacles to my education and career,” he told “Hello VOA” on Monday. “Poverty was a driving force to success.”

He had wanted to be part of a new intellectual class, he said, one that could replace those lost to the Khmer Rouge.

Chheang Vannarith specializes in the political economy of heritage tourism, and he said Cambodia’s tourism sector, its second-largest driver of economic growth, needed to do more.

Revenues from the more than 2.5 million tourists who visit Cambodia every year, especially the temples of Angkor Wat, a World Heritage site, can help create jobs and boost the economy, but these revenues are not evenly benefiting people in touristic areas, he said.

While tourism is a critical part of the economy, Cambodia must expand its resources, he said.

“Cambodia currently depends on three factors: textiles, tourism, and agriculture,” he said. “Cambodia also needs to pay attention to encouraging the services industry, IT, and manufacturing. By doing this, Cambodia diversifies the sources of its revenues.”

And rather than just commercial tourism, Cambodia should also look toward high-quality tourism, focusing on tourists who seek to understand its culture, the kind of tourism, he said, that does not rely on temple ruins.

Source: VOA News

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