Cambodia Wins International Culture & Travel Awards - Sets Sights On More Tourism 2024 Events & Partnerships
Cambodia was elected as Asia’s Leading Cultural Destination by the World Travel Awards and Asia’s Leading Youth Travel Destination. The Kingdom is planning several more events to promote tourism in 2024 in an aim to reach pre-pandemic tourism numbers.
The Kingdom was also named Asia’s Leading Youth Travel Destination & Leading Cultural Destination in 2022 by the World Travel Awards (WTA).
The awards association said, “In a dazzling display of its growing appeal as a top travel destination, Cambodia secured two prestigious awards at the World Travel Awards 2023. The country, with its rich cultural heritage and youthful vibrancy, emerged as the winner in two significant categories: Asia's Leading Cultural Destination and Asia's Leading Youth Travel Destination."
Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken added, "This remarkable achievement further reaffirms our destination appeal as an absolute must-visit for all avid cultural enthusiasts."
Cambodia is home to several world heritage sites - the Sambor Prei Kuk templs in central Kampong Thom province, the Temple of Preah Vihear, and the Koh Ker archaeological site in northwest Preah Vihear province, as well of course the Angkor Archaeological Park which is a world heritage site.
Eco-tourism and the coastline to the south of the country, as well as the islands, are all being promoted and going through various stages of development to attract local and international tourism, buoyed by investment into major sea and air hubs.
At the 2023 Destination Mekong Summit 2023, panellists told B2B Cambodia that in terms of future trends and sustainable travel, innovation and creativity in destination marketing, with an emphasis on authentic experiences were crucial. There has also been a recent Sub-Decree in 2024 on the restructure of the Cambodia Tourism Board, that aims to revitalise the board and mechanisms to enhance cooperation through closer partnership between the public and private sectors in promoting Cambodia’s tourism.
The "Visit Siem Reap 2024’ campaign for example, under the guidance of the restructured MoT, aims to promote the region, look to add connecting flights between major tourist destinations, and create an attractive and stimulating tourism environment in 2024.
- In February 2024, the MoT said it would work with the US-ABC Business Council (US-ABC) to promote tourism and increase engagement.
- The 2024 launched ‘BUILD Plus 3Ds" which aims to boost tourism has seen some support from US firms Mastercard, VISA and META Facebook, said the Ministry of Tourism.
- From March 15-17 2024, Siem Reap will host the Eighth River Festival and the Visit Siem Reap 2024 which will feature exhibitions, the Mekong Food Festival as well as live concerts & performances.
- In February 2024, Siem Reap City hosted the Giant Puppet Project and street parade.
World Travel Awards - Cambodia Country Category
There were also winners for the country category from the World Travel Awards:
- Cambodia's Leading Car Rental Company 2023 - Avis
- Cambodia's Leading Destination Management Company 2023 - Diethelm Travel
- Cambodia
- Cambodia's Leading Hotel 2023 - Park Hyatt Siem Reap
- Cambodia's Leading Hotel Suite 2023 - Presidential Suite @ Park Hyatt Siem Reap
- Cambodia's Leading Resort 2023 - Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort
- Cambodia's Leading Travel Agency 2023 - Angkor 7th Travel
- Cambodia's Leading Villa Resort 2023 - Six Senses Krabey Island
Cambodia Tourism 2024
According to the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Cambodia received 5.45 million international tourists in 2024.
Ivana Tranchini, AmCham Governor and Country Manager of Visa Worldwide (Cambodia) said at the Q4 2023 AmCham event "Where is Cambodia’s Tourism Industry Heading?’ - “We’ve also observed other shifts in consumer preferences when travelling, for example, our research has shown 63 per cent of Asian consumers are actively seeking eco-sustainable options like sustainable accommodation and energy-efficient transportation, and 71 per cent used an online Travel Platform to plan their travel."
The MoT predicts that the number of international visitors to Cambodia will reach 7 million by 2025, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 pandemic record levels of 6.6 million in 2019.
- Sihanoukville has seen as many as ten cruise ships dock at the coastal port between January and February 2024 with more than 8,000 passengers and tourists reported the Preah Sihanoukville Tourism Department.
- The Tourism and Trade Fair 2024 is planned to be held from 25th-30th March 2024 in Sihanoukville under the theme “Tourism - Opportunity for All”.
- In January 2024, Angkor Archaeological Park received over 115,000 foreign visitors, generating USD $5.5 million in revenue.
- The General Department of Immigration reported that in January 2024, 690,000 international travellers visited Cambodia.
