Hospitality And Tourism Industry Growth Reflected At Expo

Over 9,000 hospitality industry people descended on Diamond Island over the weekend to attend the fifth edition of the CAMFOOD CAMHOTEL, the Kingdom’s largest international food and drinks exhibition. 

Organisers said that numbers of booths this year compared to their event in 2014 were up by roughly 20%, and featured an increasingly diverse range of suppliers of food, drink, equipment and services on display at the Exhibition Centre from 20-22 October. Carrol Sahaidak-Beaver, the Executive Director of the Cambodia Hotel Association as well as acting Executive Director and Secretary General of the Cambodia Tourism Federation, noted that businesses are now able to source “pretty well everything on the ground here”. “Cambodia is experiencing the largest growth rate in the region which includes the hospitality and tourism industry,” she added. “Streamlining the registration processes for new companies, clarification on taxation and an increase in service quality delivery is all making Cambodia an attractive destination for investment and for visitors.” 

With the successful hosting of a smaller version of CAMFOOD CAMHOTEL in Siem Reap, “tentative discussions” are being made as to whether the full event could be held there in the future. The next edition in Phnom Penh is confirmed for 2018. Other upcoming hospitality and tourism events include the Water & Moon Festival on 13-15 November in Phnom Penh, and the Sea Festival in Sihanoukville on 23-25 December. There is also the Cambodia Travel Mart planned for next August in Phnom Penh, with a Tourism Forum in the preliminary planning stage.