Siem Reap: Siem Reap has hosted the 2024 China-Cambodia International Friendship Cities Conference to engage tourism players of the two countries to foster the sector. President of the Cambodia-China Friendship Association H.E. Ek Sam Ol and President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries H.E. Yang Wanming chaired the event on Nov. 12 along with Cambodian Tourism Minister H.E. Huot Hak, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia H.E. Wang Wenbin, and Siem Reap Provincial Governor H.E. Prak Sophoan.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the China-Cambodia International Friendship Cities Conference brought together representatives from 33 sister cities and provinces between Cambodia and China to build deeper mutual understanding and concretise tourism cooperation. H.E. Huot Hak expressed his optimism that the conference will further expand dissemination of Cambodian-Chinese cultures, traditions, and tourism potentials.

H.E. Wang Wenbin highlighted that tourism is the driving force behi
nd the economy, and China has paid close attention to the development of tourism, and a wide range of initiatives have been promoted between Cambodia and China. The China-Cambodia International Friendship Cities Conference aimed to promote tourism between the two countries at the local level, and this will foster the sector to a new height for mutual benefit of both Cambodia and China, he added.

According to H.E. Prak Sophoan, Siem Reap alone has established a sisterhood with 30 provinces and cities of China, and the mechanism is gradually bringing more Chinese tourists to Cambodia. Before the COVID-19, Siem Reap received around 5 million tourists, and Chinese tourists topped the list with 1,123,597. During the first ten months of 2024, the province welcomed 2,495,353 tourists, and 59,498 of them were Chinese visitors.