Minister sees Tourism Industry in Cambodia as Priority for Development

Cambodia

Tourism Minister Thong Khon says tourism is a priority sector for economic development since it offers jobs, boosts national coffers and effectively reduces poverty.

Speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding with non-governmental organization World Vision Wednesday, he said security, safety and political stability were crucial to ensure the industry's growth.

The number of foreign visitors to Cambodia grew 15 percent from a year earlier to 2.8 million in 2011 while the number of domestic tourists rose three percent to seven million.

Thong Khon added that the industry was worth $1.9 billion last year, or 12 percent of the country's gross domestic product, and employed 350,000 people.

The number of global tourists grew 4.5 percent to 980 million in 2011. The sector employed 235 million people and was worth $900 billion, or five percent of world GDP.

The industry accounted for 30 percent of world exports and 45 percent of exports from developing countries. ASEAN alone received about 79 million tourists last year, he said.

According to the World Tourism Organization, the number of tourists is forecast to each 1 billion in 2012, 1.6 billion in 2020 and 1.8 billion in 2030.