Despite Slump, Luxury Tourism Remains Strong

For some visiting Cambodia, the idea of a vacation is somewhat basic: a beach, a good book and somewhere along the way, a visit to an Angkorian temple.
But for a select few, that same idea takes on a far more extravagant, customized form of tourism that is focused on luxury.

Despite the slump in tourists coming to Cambodia ? figures from the Ministry of Tourism show that visitor arrivals have declined by nearly three percent compared to the first four months of last year, and many hotels from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap are either deserted or completely closed ? some luxury tourists are riding out the storm in style.

Seng Bonny, a holiday representative at Luxury Tourism Vietnam, a specialist luxury tour operator with destinations in Cambodia, said that mid-range clients booking tours with his firm have dropped by 50 percent compared to the same period last year. But luxury clients, who represent about 10 percent of the company?s client pool, and who can spend up to $10,000 a week, have continued to visit Cambodia.

Mr Bonny explained how some of his clients are the type to book 15-minute helicopter rides at $140 per person and can then reach back into their wallets to spend a similar amount on meals.

?It is mostly the low-budget and luxury sectors of the market that are doing better,? he said.

At Exotissimo Travel, another high-end travel agent with offices in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh as well as other major cities across Indochina, the most spendthrift clients show no sigh of cutting back.

Olivier Marchesin, general manager at the firm, claimed that, while updated figures on the exact number of high-end clients they have dealt with are not available, there are still category of visitors who find it not uncommon to spend an average of between $10,000 to $15,000 per person per week on accommodation, transport and food.

?Just yesterday we had some clients making a request for a private helicopter tour, and others have recently requested the use of a jeep into distant locations of the country to view remote temples,? he said.

Last year, Exotissimo expanded into new markets in Laos and Burma.
Likewise, a manager at the Siem Rep luxury resort Amansara, where suites start at $750 per night,   said that bookings at the resort were ?holding up.?

The manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the resort?s policy, declined to release information on the number of clients the company is currently serving but admitted that richer clients are less ?affected by the economic crisis.?

?In general, less people are coming to Cambodia,? said Luu Meng, president of the Cambodian Tourism and Service Workers Federation. ?But luxury travelers have not been influenced by any trends or downturn in the market.?

Visitors with mid-range budgets, however, are no longer flashing their credit cards with the same haste they did before the credit crunch, Mr Meng added.

Ho Vandy, co-chair of the government-private sector tourism working group, also said that high-end clients to Cambodia, particularly those traveling as individuals, were riding out the current downturn in tourism in the country.

Sourced = The Cambodia Daily