PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Manet has urged Cambodia’s small tourism businesses, artisans and community operators to build their digital skills and reach more visitors online, saying the shift could create jobs and spread tourism income more widely among local people.
He has also called for the Kingdom’s tourism authorities to make better use of data to inform their decision making.
In a Thursday (Sept 23) message, released ahead of World Tourism Day on Sunday (Sept 27), Manet said micro, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, including family businesses, should be part of the sector’s digital transformation.
“Strengthening digital capabilities and marketing will help expand business opportunities, increase income and create jobs,” he noted.
Manet called for information about Cambodian destinations, cultural heritage, arts, food and community tourism products to be made available digitally so they could connect more quickly with domestic and international markets.
His advice comes amid a major downturn in the Kingdom’s tourism industry. In the first seven months of the year, Cambodia welcomed 1,997,821 international guests, down 46.2 per cent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
The ministry highlighted that in the same period, domestic visitors made 23,802,124 visits to destinations within the country, up 47.6 per cent. The domestic figure counts visits, however, not individual travellers.
This year’s World Tourism Day 2026 is themed “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”.
Manet noted that digital technology and artificial intelligence were changing how visitors choose destinations, plan and book trips, make payments and share their experiences.
He said the same tools could help tourism authorities analyse market trends, manage visitor flows and make decisions based on better data.
To make use of these tools, Cambodia needed stronger digital skills, better services and improved connectivity, he added.
The prime minister also warned that the shift carried risks, including unequal access to technology, cyber threats, threats to personal data and privacy, and false information.
He called for the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence to be safe, transparent, accountable and people centred.
While encouraging tourism operators to adopt new tools, Manet expressed his belief that Cambodia’s cultural identity remained central to its appeal.
The country’s hospitality, traditions, heritage and natural attractions, he said, were qualities that technology could promote but could not replace.
The government would continue to prioritise digital infrastructure, workforce development, tourism destinations and service quality as it sought to attract more domestic and international visitors, he added. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
