[INNEWS Comprehensive Report] On October 11, Cambodian Minister of Tourism SOK Soken held talks with a delegation of 54 major enterprises in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, headed by Wang Shi, Chairman of the China Shenzhen International Exchange and Cooperation Foundation and founder of Vanke Group.
Wang Shi said that he is very interested in investing in Cambodia’s tourism industry, especially in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap provinces. With the support of China Shenzhen International Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, the Chinese business delegation spent some time to gain an in-depth understanding of the actual conditions of these tourist destinations.
Cambodian Minister of Tourism SOK Soken shared the vision of developing tourism under the joint strategic initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, the seventh legislative body of the newly established Cambodian government. They are committed to making Cambodia a vibrant, competitive, sustainable and environmentally friendly tourist destination.
The two parties had an in-depth discussion on the strategy of “adding 5 and developing 3” and agreed to cooperate in innovative thinking. In addition, they also discussed issues such as policy formulation, master planning, national strategic planning, tourism development planning and relevant legal standards. The two sides also had active discussions on strengthening all-round cooperation and promoting the recovery and development process of the tourism industry.
During this meeting, the Shenzhen delegation from China expressed their strong willingness to invest in Cambodia’s tourism industry. They promised to actively promote Cambodia’s tourism potential and attract more Chinese tourists to Cambodia. At the same time, they also invited Song Sokken and a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism to visit Shenzhen to further strengthen cooperation between the two places in the field of tourism.
In response, SOK Soken will actively promote the full operation of the Cambodia Tourism Promotion and Tourism Council and increase the participation of the private sector and other travel agencies. In addition, he also proposed connecting flights from Shenzhen to Cambodia, which is an important way for Shenzhen to attract and transport tourists to Cambodia. It is also one of the important modes of transportation for Chinese tourists to Cambodia. Among Chinese tourists to Cambodia, Shenzhen ranks fifth in terms of number of tourists.
The background of this meeting is that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet encouraged Chinese investors and businessmen to seek business opportunities in Cambodia during his visit to China in September 2023.
