PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's tourism sector is slowly recovering from the pandemic, but experts in the government and private sector believe that it has the potential to return to its pre-pandemic levels quickly, thanks to the launch of two major infrastructure projects.

The Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, which cost approximately $1.1 billion to build, is scheduled to open in October 2023. The Techo International Airport, which cost around $1.5 billion to build, is scheduled to soft open in December 2023.

Yesterday, the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport successfully completed an airport flight demonstration for non-commercial flights and is set to be officially launched in mid-October.

The new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport will have 38 berths and will be able to handle 7 million air passengers a year in the first phase, and the complete infrastructure will allow the capacity to serve 20 million passengers annually from 2040.

Mr. Chuob Ratana, Director of the Tourism Development Planning Department of the Ministry of Tourism, believes that the private sector should carefully study Cambodia's priority tourism market and prepare its products and services accordingly.

He also recommends that the private sector provide training to its employees to improve the quality of service and tourism satisfaction.

Mr. Ratana also applauded the Ministry of Tourism's Hoka project, which is aimed at strengthening the training of human resources in the tourism sector. The project is currently focusing on training food, beverage, and coffee workers in 10 provinces.

Mr. Lor Vichet, Vice President of the Cambodia-Chinese Commerce Association (CCCA), believes that Cambodia's hospitality sector should focus on building a niche market, such as Best Cuisines, Best Hotel Experience, and Best Spa, to further enhance travelers' experiences.

He also suggested that Cambodia initiate a “shopper paradise program” whereby international travelers get more benefits, such as Black Friday discounts, by spending more during their stay in Cambodia.

Experts are optimistic about the future of Cambodia's tourism sector, but they believe that the private sector needs to be prepared for the return of tourists. This includes carefully studying the market, preparing products and services accordingly, and training employees to provide high-quality service.

Cambodia had already received 3.5 million international tourists in the first eight months of the year, an increase of 50.8% compared to the same period in 2022, and is expected to attract a total of 5 million international tourists in 2023 and 8 million in 2028.