As a result of the world financial crisis and the Bangkok aiport blockade Cambodia has set up at Tourism Task Force to address falling visitor numbers.

Ho Vandy, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said the task force would consist of 10 institutions, including airlines, travel agencies, hotels, restaurants and government departments, and would develop a national strategy to attract foreign tourists.

The Thai crisis has hit Cambodia’s tourism industry hard, as about a third of the Kingdom’s visitors arrive via Thailand. Tourism is one of the country’s few economic engines, with 1.7 million people visiting the Kingdom in the first 10 months of this year. At the end of 2007, the government predicted international visitor arrivals to reach 2.2 million in 2008 and 2.7 million in 2009. It has since curbed its expectations following the global financial crisis, border disputes with Thailand and the current turmoil in Bangkok.

But Ho Vandy said the task force hopes to shift Cambodia’s tourist arrivals away from Thailand and make use of other gateways such as Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea and Vietnam.

Edited from the Phnom Penh Post (Dec 4 08)