25 May 2016
PHNOM PENH Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism will lobby and campaign for more international flights to connect the country from Asia and Europe to build connectivity and expand tourism.
Khmer Times quoted the ministry’s Statistics and Information Department director, Kong Sophearak, saying the government’s efforts to provide more international flights to Cambodia was a pivotal reason for the surge in tourist arrivals.
“The Cambodian government has pushed to gain more flight connections from other countries, and it is working with new flights from Myanmar, Japan and European countries.”
He added that the expansion of airport safety measures and human resources was also an integral part of attracting passengers.
Passenger arrivals, across the kingdom’s three international airports, increased by 7% during January to March, this year.
The ministry’s data showed 785,037 passengers arrived at Cambodia’s main airports, up from 733,468 during the same period last year.
Of that, Siem Reap International Airport received 479,395 passengers, while Phnom Penh International Airport and Sihanoukville International Airport received 303,281 and 2,361 respectively.
Cambodia’s three international airports underwent inspections, earlier this month, by Australian technical aviation and security experts ahead of an upcoming audit by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation due this October.