On 3 August 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Tith Chantha, Acting Minister of Tourism of Cambodia and exchanged views on deepening Cambodia-China and ASEAN-China tourism cooperation. Mr. Putwerry, President of the National Institute of Tourism of Cambodia, officials from the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Tourism as well as Ms. Kong Roatlomang, Director of Education, Culture and Tourism Division of ACC and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC attended the meeting.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping thanked the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia for its long-term support to the work of ACC and briefed on ACC’s work to promote ASEAN-China tourism cooperation. She said that ACC has been committed to building platform for communication and cooperation between the tourism agencies of both sides and promoting the high-quality tourism resources of both ASEAN countries and China, which had yielded good results and been widely appraised by both sides.

To echo the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and China-ASEAN Year of Tourism Cooperation, ACC has been working with Beijing TV on the Tourism Documentary Shooting Project “Hi! ASEAN” in 10 ASEAN countries, successfully organized the ASEAN-China Quality and Sustainable Tourism Development and ASEAN Tourism Photo Exhibition, translated the 50 Golden Trails and published its Chinese version, sponsored the second ASEAN?Gourmet Festival-Cambodia: Kingdom of Wonder Theme Month, organized Chinese journalists to the ASEAN countries for tourism promotion and supported the establishment of ASEAN-China Tourism Education Alliance during the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. Later this year, ACC will organize ASEAN-China Tourism Festival, Capacity-Building Programme for Toursim Professionals and ASEAN-China Eco-tourism Development Seminar in China and ASEAN countries including Cambodia.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping highlighted that tourism cooperation had been one of the bright spots of both ASEAN-China and Cambodia-China relations. According to Chinese statistics, the number of bilateral visits reached a record high of 31.8 million in 2016. More than 2,700 flights are shuttling between ASEAN and China every week in the summer and autumn seasons. According to the statistics released by the Cambodian sides recently, there are 12 Chinese airlines operating 155 direct flights every week from China to Cambodia. ACC stands ready to closely cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, deeply tap the potentials for cooperation and explore ways to make greater contribution to the people-to-people connectivity.

H.E. Mr. Tith Chantha, Acting Minister of Tourism, briefed on the development of Cambodian tourism and cooperation with China. He said that Cambodia has regarded China as an important cooperative partner and a key market with huge potentials in tourism, and made special strategies and plans to attract Chinese tourists. The number of Chinese travelers to Cambodia reached almost 1 million in 2016, with an increase of more than 90%, and the number is expected to exceed 1 million in 2017 since over 500,000 Chinese travelers have visited Cambodia by the end of July this year. According to consensus reached by the leaders of two sides, Cambodia is endeavouring to have 2 million Chinese tourists visit Cambodia by 2020. He further expressed his appreciation to ACC for its important role in enhancing practical cooperation and friendly communication between ASEAN and China, and especially its fruitful work in the field of tourism from which ASEAN Member States including Cambodia have benefited a lot. Cambodia would like to maintain close cooperation with ACC, fully support and actively participate in the activities organized by ACC, so as to bring Cambodia-China and ASEAN-China tourism cooperation to a higher level.?