The closing ceremony of the ‘2024 Cambodia-China Year of People-to-People Exchange’ on February 24-25, in Henan province, China. Tourism ministry
Cambodia and China, through the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism and Chinese authorities in Henan province, organised the closing ceremony of the “2024 Cambodia-China Year of People-to-People Exchange” on February 24-25, in Henan province, China.
According to the tourism ministry, the event featured joint Cambodia-China national-level cultural performances, traditional Cambodian Lbokator martial arts and Shaolin Kung Fu demonstrations, a traditional costume fashion show, and other cultural exchange activities.
“The event played a crucial role in promoting Cambodia-China tourism, enhancing Cambodia’s reputation, showcasing its rich cultural heritage, and expanding its tourism potential to international markets, particularly China,” explained the ministry.
The event featured cultural performances and displays of traditional martial arts, including Shaolin kung fu and Lbokator. Tourism ministry
Additionally, it highlighted that the initiative fostered stronger people-to-people ties, business connections, partnerships and collaborations, contributing to the building of a "Cambodia-China Community of Shared Future" and supporting the Cambodia-China Diamond Hexagon Framework.
On the morning of February 24, the first day of the closing ceremony was attended by Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak, and Zhang Min, vice-governor of Henan province.
During the event, both sides emphasised the tourism potential between Cambodia and China, alongside business networking between investors and tourism operators from both nations, and strengthened public-private cooperation in the tourism sector.
In 2024, several Cambodia-China cultural events were jointly held in Siem Reap, including the “When Shaolin Meets Lbokator” performance at Bayon Temple and multiple Chinese and Khmer food festivals.
Chhort Bunthang, a researcher of cultural relations education, and tourism at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told The Post on February 24 that the Cambodia-China Year of People-to-People Exchange has, to some extent, contributed to boosting the tourism sector for both countries.
He encouraged the continuation of such events in 2025. However, he noted that the success of these initiatives could be assessed by surveying whether they have influenced Chinese tourists to visit Cambodia and vice versa.
“Based on my estimates, I believe such cultural events have some impact by fostering interest through engaging performances. I think we should continue this initiative. Now that the previous phase has concluded, the 2025 phase should follow, as these efforts yield results, even if incremental,” he said.
Chinese tourist arrivals to Cambodia showed a 54% increase in 2024, reaching a total of 848,925 visitors, making China the third-largest source of tourists after Thailand and Vietnam. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, China was Cambodia’s top source of tourists, with 2.26 million arrivals in 2019.
