STORY: Vendors, transport service providers in Cambodia's tourist hub keen to see more Chinese tourists
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 17, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 19, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:43
LOCATION: SIEM REAP, Cambodia
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of shops at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Cambodian): CHEA RINA, Gift shop attendant at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
3. various of shops in front of the Angkor Wat temple
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Cambodian): HENG SREYLEAP, Souvenir vendor at the Angkor Wat temple
5. various of tourists visiting the Angkor park
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Cambodian): LENG SOK CHHAY, Taxi driver at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
7. various of the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Cambodian): PROM MALAI, Taxi van driver at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
9. file: aerial view of the Angkor park

STORYLINE:

As Cambodia's tourism recovery has gained steam, vendors and transport service providers in northwest Siem Reap province are eager to see the massive comeback of Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asian country.

Selling a wide range of souvenirs such as clothes, handbags, cosmetics, liquor, paintings and sculptures at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, shop assistant Chea Rina said the presence of Chinese holidaymakers is crucial to help boost Cambodia's tourism industry and improve the livelihoods of locals.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Cambodian): CHEA RINA, Gift shop attendant at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
"I desire to see more Chinese tourists coming to Cambodia because their presence will help boost Cambodia's economy. Chinese tourists like buying local brand products such as paintings, small sculptures, and silk scarves, among others, and usually, they buy a lot of gifts."

According to the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia attracted a total of 538,834 Chinese tourists during the January-August period of this year, up 47.7 percent. Of the number, 50,431 visited the centuries-old Angkor park.

The number remained quite low compared to a total of 2.36 million Chinese visitor arrivals to the Southeast Asian country in the pre-pandemic era in 2019.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Cambodian): HENG SREYLEAP, Souvenir vendor at the Angkor Wat temple
"For me, I really want to see large numbers of tourists, especially tourists from China, to Cambodia because the more they come to visit Angkor Wat, the more income local people will make from selling things to them."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Cambodian): LENG SOK CHHAY, Taxi driver at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
"As a taxi driver at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, I'm eager to see either Chinese or other foreign tourists coming to Siem Reap province and other provinces across Cambodia. I would like to call on Chinese tourists to come and visit the Angkor Wat temple and other sites in Cambodia."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Cambodian): PROM MALAI, Taxi van driver at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport
"I'm really keen to see more Chinese tourists because the more they come, the more job opportunities will be created for taxi drivers and people in Siem Reap province."

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment export, agriculture, and construction and real estate.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
(XHTV)