I- Visiting Cambodia
Cambodia is now becoming an interesting destination in the South East Asia, offering visitors a unique experience in a stunning natural and cultural setting. It has great scope to market itself more widely and to develop product that will add depth to the international product offering, whilst complementing the strong domestic platform already established. To stay competitive and achieve the doubling goal, Cambodia must continue to develop a product offering that is appealing to both the International and the Domestic traveler – both leisure and business.
Cambodia is rich in tourism resources. Angkor Wat is one of the wonders of the world and for us symbolizes and the heart and soul of the Cambodian nation, and illuminates our unique culture, civilization and the past history of the ancient Angkor Kingdom of Cambodia. As well, Cambodia now provides its tourists with a variety of additional cultural and historical attractions throughout the country. Because the dual theme guiding Cambodia tourism is “Culture and Nature”, visitors may share our appreciation of the majesty of our unspoiled environment, and richness of fauna and flora, the uniqueness of the Tonle Sap lake, etc.. And it is also hoped that visitors to Cambodia and be interested in investigating business opportunities and information about business conditions in today’s Cambodia.
Building the Tourism Action Plan is to ensure sustainable tourism development, transparency and efficiency in Cambodia. Based on the above principles, Ministry of Tourism has worked collaboratively closely with private sectors and other involving partners. There are many exciting steps forward in the Tourism Action Plan such as enhance tourism information system (Information Center, improve the quality of private’s information, Public Tourism Awareness and Strengthening Guiding Service Quality). It envisages significant development of a number of key products depending upon nature and culture, including the government’s four priorities areas. Moreover, Marketing is also recognized as a major tool to attract more Interactive Traveler – the international traveler.
II- CAMBODIA CULTURE:
- Cambodian New Year day
- The Cambodian New Year takes place from April 13th -15th.
- Astrologers determine the exact time and date.
- Cambodians spend the entire month of April in preparation for the celebration
- Cleaning and decorating their house with candles, lights, star shaped lanterns and flowers.
- During the first three days, everyone travels to the pagodas to offer food to the monks.
- Pchum Ben
- Pchum Ben is a religious ceremony in September when everyone remembers the spirit of dead relatives.
- For fifteen days, people in Cambodian villages take turns bringing food to the temples or pagodas.
- On the fifteenth families bring overflowing baskets of flowers, and children offer food and presents to the monks.
- Everyone says prayers to help their ancestors pass on to a better life.
- Water Festival
- It takes place in late October or early November.
- The three-day festival is the boat races that are held in Phnom Penh.
- On the first two days of the festival, pairs of boats race each other. At sunset on the third day, there is a big race and everyone believes that the river is happy, the fish will be plentiful and the rice crop will flourish.
- Weddings
- Weddings are the most important social events in the lives of young people.
- Men usually get married between the ages of nineteen and twenty-four
- Women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two.
- There are traditional ways in which a family should decide
- The wedding ceremony takes place at the bride’s house.
- The bride and groom exchange gifts and rings.
- Buddhist priest delivers a sermon, and married guests pass around a candle
to bless the new couple.
Improvements in Infrastructure
After 30 years of genocide, war, Cambodia’s current infrastructure had been completely
Destroyed. Cambodia is attempting to rapidly rebuild its tourism infrastructure with a major focus on Siem Reap. Cambodia had privatized its airports to attract private investment in order to cope with the fast growth. The expansion of the passenger terminal at Siem Reap’s airport can now handle 500.000 passenger flights and the government wants to expand it to have the ability to handle up to 500 passenger flights.
On top of the Ministry of Tourism, A National Tourism Authority (NTA) of Cambodia has been created government wing in charge of developing a tourism policy has recommended the construction of a new international airport in Siem Reap within the next 8 years in order to be able to handle the growing flow of tourists. This is due mainly to the introduction of international flights into Siem Reap following the government’s open-skies policy.
Labor Pool
According to the Human Development Report published annually by the United Nations
Development Program, 45% of Cambodia’s population is 0-14 years of age (male 2,667,768; female 2,587,590), 52% is 15-64 years of age (male 2,821,772; female 3,197,604) and 3% is 65 years and over (male 143,016; female 208,770). From Cambodia’s young population, approximately 26%, or 3 million, are eligible to work. Nearly 80% of the workforce is involved in agriculture. Agrarian societies are generally synonymous with low education and low wages and Cambodia is no exception. According to the Human Development Index (HDI), which ranks educational attainment, life expectancy, and income? Cambodia ranks 96 out 122 developing countries.
Life expectancy is also low, 49.6 years, and approximately 25% of adults over 25 have a primary education, and only 35% of Cambodians can read and write (48% of all males and 22% of all females). Many Cambodian men in fact receive much of their education while serving for a short time as a monk in Theravada Buddhist Wat or temple. Theravada Buddhism influences much of Cambodia culture.