Cambodia seeks tourism cooperation with RI

Cambodia seeks tourism cooperation with RI

JAKARTA (JP): Cambodia is seeking to sign a cooperation
agreement with Indonesia for the development of its tourism
industry, Cambodian Minister of Tourism Veng Sereyvuth said here
yesterday.

Sereyvuth, who was here for a five-day visit until yesterday,
told The Jakarta Post Sunday evening that he expects the two
countries to sign such an agreement early next year.

"I think we can learn a marketing strategy from Indonesia," he
said, adding that his country sees a lot of progress in
Indonesia's tourism industry.

Sereyvuth, who attended the farewell party of the Tourism
Indonesia Mart '94 at Sea World, Ancol Dreamland of North Jakarta
on Sunday evening, said his country might imitate Indonesia in
organizing such an event to promote its own tourism industry.

The five-day tourism mart was closed yesterday.

The Cambodian minister also said his country is inviting
Indonesia's private companies to participate in an open tender
for the construction a $400 million international airport on Naga
Island, Sihanoukville.

Several companies from the United States, Malaysia, Australia
and France have already submitted bids for the construction of
the airport project, which will include a casino, marina and golf
course.

The tender for the project will be closed on Nov. 21, he
added.

Meanwhile, Myanmarese Minister of Hotels and Tourism Let. Gen.
Kyew Ba told the Post that his country would also learn from
Indonesia on tourism marketing.

"The mart, exhibiting all-Indonesian tourism products, proved
that the country has a wide range of choices," Kyew Ba said.

He said the number of tourist arrivals in his country last
year reached only 61,000, far lower than Indonesia's 3.4 million
in the same year.

Indonesia expects to receive a steady increase in foreign
exchange revenues from its tourism industry from US$3.4 billion
last year to $8.9 billion in 1998, when the number of tourist
arrivals is likely to reach 6.5 million.(icn)