Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon asserted on Wednesday that Vietnam is the largest visitor-generating market for his country’s tourism industry, and the country is seeking to attract more tourists from Vietnam.

 

The minister said at the launch of the Cambodian Night held at the five-star Rex Hotel on Wednesday that Cambodia welcomed 470,000 visitors from Vietnam last year, and the figure is expected to rise to 550,000 this year.

 

The Cambodian Night was held by the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism as part of the 7th International Travel Expo (ITE) HCMC 2011, aiming at introducing its culture and tourism to Vietnamese customers.

 

Cambodian Night attracted 500 representatives from travel agencies and hundreds of international buyers worldwide who took part in the travel event.

 

The Cambodian dignitary also said 24 Cambodian tourism companies were taking part in this year’s ITE, almost triple the number from the similar event last year. “We will expand our promotion activities in an effort to bring you all the information you need about Cambodia,” Thong Khon said.

 

The ministry will also organize an art show in HCMC Opera House with the participation of hundreds of Cambodian artists on Thursday’s evening. The show is free to all guests.

 

At the ITE, Cambodian enterprises also set up their own stall next to their country’s common pavilion. Particularly, Naga World Hotel and Entertainment Complex in the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh invited celebrities to attract visitors and offer special tourism programs for Vietnamese customers at its large stall.