STORY: Vendors, service providers in Cambodia expect more Chinese tourists
SHOOTING TIME: May 21, 2024
DATELINE: May 29, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:51
LOCATION: Phnom Penh
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of vendors in Cambodia
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Khmer): EAK VANTHA, Souvenir vendor
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): KOY PROS, Souvenir vendor

STORYLINE:

Souvenir vendors and transportation service providers in Cambodia's Siem Reap province say that attracting visitors from China is essential to revitalizing their tourism industry.

Souvenir vendor Eak Vantha said that there has been a gradual increase in the number of international tourists, including from China, after the Chinese-financed Siem Reap Angkor International Airport launched commercial operations in November 2023.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Khmer): EAK VANTHA, Souvenir vendor
"I wish to see a lot of Chinese tourists coming to Cambodia. The more they come, the better our sales will be because they like buying a lot of souvenirs.
I think the new airport will help attract more tourists because it makes it more convenient to travel to Siem Reap, as this new airport is quite a bit bigger and more modern than the old one."

Siem Reap is home to the 401-square-kilometer Angkor Archaeological Park, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

The park is the country's most popular tourist hotspot and is home to 91 ancient temples built over a time span ranging from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): KOY PROS, Souvenir vendor
"For Chinese tourists, if a lot of them come to visit Cambodia, our vendors will be able to sell a lot of souvenirs because Chinese tourists like buying our local souvenirs.
Like other souvenir vendors, I am eager to see a large number of Chinese tourists in Cambodia."

China was the fifth-largest source of international tourist arrivals to Angkor Archaeological Park during the first four months of 2024, according to a report from the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh.
(XHTV)