Tourism in Cambodia

The internal and external tourism sector in Cambodia has developed significantly over time, which showed the need to provide many tourism services to meet the requirements of tourists, who in turn contribute to solving employment problems, and bringing hard currency in circulation to the state, which improves the quality of life and social life, and therefore Many hotels, restaurants, various recreational, commercial, and sports facilities have been built, in addition to no less than forty tourism companies in the capital, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap. It is worth noting that Cambodia receives many tourists from Various countries, but the majority of them are from the United States of America, Japan, and France, and next to them are visitors from Europe , Australia, and neighboring countries, such as Thailand. Therefore, it was necessary for the authorities to pay attention to the field of tourism and the development of the state’s infrastructure.^[1]

The most famous tourist places in Cambodia

Cambodia includes many areas and tourist attractions that attract many tourists annually, and the following are some of them: ^[2]

Angkor: It is located in the middle of the jungles of Cambodia, near the city of Siem Reap, and was the capital of the Khmer Empire in the period between the ninth and fifteenth centuries, and is characterized by being the most attractive city for tourists in Cambodia, as it has a historical location Distinguished in the world, as this site includes more than 1,000 temples of varying size, and is visited by millions of tourists annually, and among these temples: Angkor Wat, which is the largest religious monument in the world, which contributed to the inclusion of this site in UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. ^{[1] [2]}
Banteay Srei Temple , located near Phnom Dei hills in Angkor, is a symbol of outstanding Khmer art, and a rare architectural gem, as it is elaborately carved, built of red sandstone, and dates back to Its history goes back to the tenth century.
The archaeological site of Koh Ker is located in the northern part of Cambodia, about 120 km from the city of Siem Reap, and is characterized by dense forests that include many temples, and is one of the most important sites during the period of Khmer rule. UNESCO World Heritage List .
Kratie City: This small town is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the eastern side of Cambodia. It is the capital of the Kratie Province, and is characterized by its culture, the presence of commercial markets in it, in addition to the large islands with picturesque white sandy beaches, stretching along the river. The Mekong is home to some rare dolphins.
Bokor Hill Station, located at the top of Mount Bokor in Preah Monivong National Park, dates back to ancient history, and includes many French-style buildings, which include: a church, A hotel and a royal residence.
The Silver Pagoda: It is located on the southern side of the royal palace, and is characterized by an external facade consisting of Italian marble structures, and a floor inlaid with more than five thousand silver tiles, making it a suitable place for various royal and national celebrations in the country, to Besides being a destination for many tourists, this temple includes a number of distinctive Buddha statues.
The Tonle Sap region includes the freshwater Tonle Sap Lake and the Tonle Sap River, which extends over 120 km, and is therefore characterized by high humidity, in addition to the great biodiversity that includes different types of fish, birds, and aquatic reptiles. Therefore, UNESCO classified it in 1997 as a biosphere reserve.
Sihanoukville: This coastal city is the capital of Sihanoukville Province in Cambodia. It is famous for its coastline that borders the Gulf of Thailand, islands, scenic beaches, and coastal swamps, making it distinguished by its vital diversity that attracts tourists to visit, and this city is a center of trade and industry in the country.
Preah Vihear Temple: It is located in the Preah Vihear province, specifically in the Dangrek Mountains, on a slope with a height of 525 m, and is considered the most temple built in the time of the Empire Khmer is distinguished, and it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2008.
Siem Reap is the capital of Siem Reap Province in Cambodia, and is characterized by large numbers of tourists who visit it throughout the year to enjoy its many museums, as well as buildings of Chinese architecture, silk factories, and shops dedicated to handicrafts. Traditional, and others, this city is also characterized by many hotels, restaurants, and resorts that were established to suit this number of tourists.

The importance of the tourism sector in Cambodia

The tourism sector plays an important role in the renaissance of Cambodia in various fields, as it greatly affects the development and economic growth in the country , as it occupies the third place after each of the agricultural and clothing industries, and contributes significantly and effectively to the country’s income, as it occupies It is ranked second in that after the garment industry, and it is worth noting that the revenues from the tourism sector have several benefits that affect society, represented in reducing poverty, highlighting the state’s cultural identity , and others. In addition, the tourism sector in Cambodia plays a major role in the development of social life. , and political. ^{[3] [4]}

Reasons for booming tourism in Cambodia

Many different factors have contributed to making Cambodia a magnet for many tourists from different countries, after it was a country unknown to many, and isolated from the world for several years, and among these factors: of modern sites, in addition to the cultural heritage that plays an important role in revitalizing Community and cultural tourism, and the strategic location, beautiful natural resources, and beautiful beaches contribute to the prosperity of ecotourism. It has: strong storms, hurricanes, floods, and others. It is worth mentioning the prominent impact of the development taking place in various tourism activities, organizations, and companies specialized in the development of tourism. ^{[1] [4] [5]}

Policies for the development of tourism in Cambodia

Several strategies and policies have been developed aimed at developing and strengthening the tourism sector in Cambodia, including: ^[6]

The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP), which consisted of encouraging domestic and domestic tourism , raising the percentage of people working in the tourism sector, in addition to enhancing security and public safety for tourists, and providing distinctive tourism products, in addition to developing the country’s infrastructure, from By improving the means of land, sea and air transportation.
In 2008, the Cambodian government launched a promotional campaign for the tourism sector worldwide, under the name Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonders, which contributed to the promotion of tourism in the country.
The Ministry of Tourism launched in 2011 two projects. The first project aims to promote interest in ecotourism, while the other project includes developing a strategic plan aimed at developing tourism in the period from 2011-2020, which included a number of tourist attractions, namely: Phnom Binh, Siem Reap, and Tonle Sap, as well as coastal and natural resource areas concentrated in the north-east of Cambodia.
The Open Sky Policy, which aims to facilitate air travel between Cambodia and the countries participating with it in this agreement, which resulted in the development of airports and the improvement of services provided in them, by providing the necessary information for tourists, in addition to facilitating the issuance of visas.

Number of tourists in Cambodia

The following table shows the number of tourists coming to Cambodia during a number of recent years, as follows: ^[7]

year	Tourists (people)
2014	4,502,775
2015	4,775,231
2016	5,011,712
2017	5,602,157
2018	6,201,077

Cambodia

Cambodia is located in the southeast of the continent of Asia , and shares its land borders with: Vietnam to the east, Laos to the northeast, Thailand to the west and northwest. As for its maritime borders, it shares a coast with the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest. Cambodia covers an area of about 181,035 ^km2This area is characterized by a large spread of the central plains, which cover two-thirds of them. These plains, surrounded by dense mountainous forests, meet with the Gulf of Thailand on the southern side. The prevailing climate in Cambodia is tropical, as the dry season prevails in the period from December To April, seasonal or heavy rains prevail from May to November, and this difference in the amounts of precipitation leads to floods, or may cause a state of drought. ^{[8] [9]}

Cambodia ranks 69th among the countries in the world in terms of population , with about 16,926,984 people inhabiting its territory, according to the statistics of 2020, who are largely concentrated around and within Phnom Penh, which is the capital of the country, located in the southeast side of it, and near Its main water sources are the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake, and this number of residents includes a variety of different races, most of which are Khmer, in addition to other ethnicities that include Cham, Chinese, Vietnamese, and others. This contributed to making the Khmer language the official language of the country, apart from some other languages used, and there are many religions in Cambodia, as the vast majority of the population embraces the Buddhist religion, while the rest of the population embraces Islam, or Christianity, and others.

The reviewer

^a ^b ^t Son Soubert and Suong Leang Hay (1995), case study on the effects of tourism on culture and the envionment CAMBODIA , BANGKOK, Thailand: UNESCO PRINCIPAL REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, p. 8,9. Edited.
Oishimaya Sen Nag (2017-5-18), “The Top 10 Tourist Attractions In Cambodia”، www.worldatlas.com, Retrieved 2020-1-6. Edited.
↑ Vannarith Chheang (2007), TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN CAMBODIA, Cambodia: Ministry of Tourism, Page 3,7, CHAPTER 1. Edited.
Emma Ericson, Anette Rönning (2008), Sustainable Tourism Development in Cambodia , Sweden: Karlstads universitet, Page 3,15,16. Edited.
↑ “REASONS WHY CAMBODIA CAN BE ONE OF THE TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN ASIA”, www.blog.aseankorea.org, Retrieved 2020-1-9. Edited.
↑ National Report Team (2012), The Cambodian Government’s Achievements and Future Direction in Sustainable Development, CAMBODIA: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Page 35,37. Edited.
↑ Statistics and Tourism Information Department team (2018), TOURISM STATISTICS REPORT , Cambodia: MINISTRY OF TOURISM , Page 2. Edited.
↑ “Geography Statistics Of Cambodia”, www.worldatlas.com, Retrieved 18-2-2020. Edited.
↑ “Map of Cambodia, Southeast Asia”, www.nationsonline.org, Retrieved 18-2-2020. Edited.

Tourism in Cambodia

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