The Ministry of Tourism held a seminar yesterday to discuss strategies for attracting more Japanese tourist to the country.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the ministry’s strategy was to attract 300,000 Japanese tourists, and 7 million total, a year by 2020.
A key to achieving this goal will come into play next month when Japanese airline ANA launches the first non-stop flight between Tokyo and Phnom Penh.
During the seminar, Khon also explained that he hoped to facilitate Japanese tourism by allowing visitors to pay in Japanese yen during their stay in the Kingdom.
Akihiko Hosaka, a representative of the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA) said Cambodia should focus on improving the quality of travel packages for individuals and families, which represent an important target for tourism growth.
Another key to increasing Japanese tourist numbers is to improve toilets and sanitation facilities in places like Siem Reap and other major destinations, Hosaka explained during the seminar.
“The country also needs more internationally accredited guide schools which will help train a greater number of certified, Japanese speaking guides.”
Japan ranked sixth in terms of tourist arrivals by nationality last year, with 493,000 arrivals. However, growth of inbound tourist was sluggish last year, increasing just 0.3 percent year-on-year.
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