Tourism: Cambodia to take part in the China-ASEAN Expo at the end of September 2024

The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism will be taking part in the 21st China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) 2024 tourism exhibition to be held at the Guilin International Convention and Exhibition Centre in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from 24 to 29 September 2024.

This annual exhibition, which began in 2004, will see Cambodia take part for the third time, having been the host country in 2008 and 2018

This annual exhibition, which began in 2004, will see Cambodia take part for the third time, having been the host country in 2008 and 2018.

According to the ministry's press release, the event, whose theme is "Deepening the Integration of Culture and Tourism, Building the Belt and Road Together", will feature more than 800 exhibition stands, 500 buyers from ASEAN member countries and more than 5,000 visitors.

Prime Minister Hun Manet will lead a Cambodian delegation to attend the opening of the expo on 24 September 2024.

"Participation in this event will strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors of Cambodia, China and bloc member countries, and promote Cambodia as a leading tourism destination, in line with the spirit of ASEAN and the Ministry's BUILD + 3Ds strategic initiative."

"It will also promote the "Visit Siem Reap 2024" campaign and the further implementation of the "Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year 2024" to attract more tourists and investors from China and ASEAN member countries," the statement said.

The ministry is therefore inviting all tourism associations, tour operators and the public and private sectors to take part in the event in order to widely promote package travel to Cambodia in the Chinese and international markets.

In the first six months of 2024, Cambodia's exports to China reached $814,829 million, an increase of 14.2%, while imports from China totalled $6.4 billion, an increase of 19.4%. China remains Cambodia's leading trading partner, followed by the United States, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) have contributed significantly to this trade growth, offering preferential tariffs for Cambodian agricultural products such as rice, yellow bananas, mangoes, cassava and pepper.