A seminar was held in Phnom Penh on April 24 by the Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA), a joint venture between Vietnam Airlines (VNA) and the Cambodian Royal Government.
Cambodian Secretary of State and CAA Chairman Tekreth Samrach said Cambodia is famous for its thousands of large temples, including the Angkor complex in Siem Reap province, beautiful beaches in Koh Kong and Kampot provinces and waterfalls in Ratankiri, Mondonkiri, Strung Treng and Kratie provinces.
However, the country's tourism potential is not yet fully tapped due to lack of information and inadequate infrastructure.
The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism claimed that about 3.5 million foreign tourists, visited the country in 2002, mostly from Vietnam, China, Thailand, the Republic of Korea and Japan.
In the meantime, the numbers of tourists to Thailand and Singapore were much higher (around 20-25 million).
According to plan, the CAA will create the best conditions for tourists to explore the three most attractive destinations on a single air route from Phnom Penh to the ancient cultural sites in Siem Reap and beautiful beaches in Sihanouville city, while increasing the number of international air flights form Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
In the near future, the CAA will launch new flights from Danang (Vietnam) to Savanakhet, Paske and Vietiane (Laos), as well asfrom Phnom Penh to Bangkok (Thailand), Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong (China) and Seoul (the Republic of Korea).