Phnom Penh: Cambodia has received two world awards from the World Travel Awards, the first is Asia's Leading Culture Destination 2022 and the second is Asia's Leading Youth Travel Destination 2022.
To win these awards, approximately 2 million tourists from around the world participated in the election to vote for Cambodia as a cultural tourism destination and the leading youth tourism destination in Asia in 2022.
The awards ceremony was held at the ITE HCMC 2022 International Tourism Fair in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on September 7, 2022 which Thong Rathsak, Director General of Tourism Development and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism, received the two awards on behalf of the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia.
Thong Rathsak said that through the implementation of the strategic plan on Vaccine Tourism Opening, the policy measures to promote the internal tourism movement in 2021-2023, the roadmap on the plan to restore and promote Cambodia's tourism during and after the phase of Covid-19 crisis in 2020-2025, Phase II (Recovery) and based on vaccination strategy to attract national and international tourists.
Under the leadership of Samdech Techo Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, the number of international tourists in Cambodia increased by 580% in the early eight months of 2022 to nearly 1 million people.
Cambodia was selected by over 2 million tourist’s voters to win the two awards under the theme "Targets for Asia", the first is the leading cultural destination in Asia 2022 and the second is the leading youth tourism destinations in Asia by 2022.
Apart from Cambodia, there were other countries that received awards, India, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, and 35 other countries.
Thong Rathsak continued that all international travelers can visit Cambodia through the reopening of Visa-on-Arrival (Free Visa for ASEAN Travelers).
He said: For fully vaccinated tourists can enter through the entry / exit country, just show the Covid-19 vaccination card / certificate, while tourists are not vaccinated and just do a quick test. This proves that "Cambodia is a safe tourist destination which provides warmth, clean and green."
Thong Rathsak expressed his expectation that by launching the plan to rehabilitate and promote Cambodia's tourism sector during and after the phase of the Covid-19 crisis 2020-2025. Visiting Cambodia in 2023 and participating in the ITE HCMC 2022 International Tourism Fair will help attract more Vietnamese investors and tourists, as Vietnam is Cambodia's second largest market with 189,782 visitors in the first seven months of 2022.
This was the 29th anniversary of the World Travel Awards held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on September 7, 2022, in conjunction with the ITE HCMC 2022 International Tourism Fair under the theme "Progress towards, going forward together ".
