On 18 January 2017, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) Secretary- General H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping met with Minister of Tourism of Cambodia H.E. Dr. Thong Khon on the sidelines of the 36th ASEAN Tourism Forum to exchange views on further strengthening cooperation between the two sides. Ms. Kong Roatlomang, Director of Culture, Education and Tourism Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Secretary-General Yang briefed on the work and achievements of ACC to promote practical cooperation between ASEAN and China. She said that in recent years, bilateral tourism development has kept a good momentum. To meet the demand of rapid development in tourism industry, ACC had carried out good cooperation with ASEAN countries including Cambodia to promote tourism products, and strengthen the skills and training of ASEAN tourism practitioners in tourism destination. 2017 coincides with the Year of ASEAN-China Tourism Cooperation and the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development provide a good opportunity to deepen ASEAN-China tourism cooperation. ACC will continue to promote ASEAN-China tourism cooperation. It is ready to maintain communication with Cambodia in this regard.

Dr. Thong Khon appreciated ACC’s efforts to promote tourism cooperation between the two sides, and commended its support to the development of tourism in Cambodia. He cited that in 2016, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia achieved more than 90,000, an increase of nearly 20% year-on-year. The Cambodian government attaches great importance to the Chinese tourism market, and has made many efforts to improve its service, strengthen the marketing and infrastructure construction, and meet the needs of different categories of tourists by carrying out targeted services. The Cambodian government has also set up a special institution, namely, China-Ready Center to provide tourists with language support, travel guides and other one-stop services. Cambodia is rich in cultural tourism resources, and hopes to carry out cooperation in strengthening personnel training, and development of new products, provide more convenient services for tourists, promote tourism development so as to benefit the two peoples.