Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodia has wonthe Pacific Area Travel Writers Association's (PATWA) International TravelAward for Best Destination, local media reported on March 13.
Chairman of PATWA's Cambodia chapter ThournSinan said Cambodia was honoured thanks to its rich heritage, public safety andlocal people’s friendliness, adding that the award will help boost thecountry's global popularity.
Spokesman for Cambodia's Tourism MinistryChuk Chumno said the award was set to be presented in Berlin but the awardceremony was postponed following the global COVID-19 outbreak.
This award will help promote Cambodia tothe rest of the world, he said, calling on people to maintain the country’sheritage so it can win again in the coming years.
Cambodia is well-known for its Angkor ArchaeologicalPark, a world heritage site, situated in northwest Siem Reap province.
In 2019, Cambodia earned approximately 4.91billion USD in revenue from 6.61 million foreign visitors, up by 12.4 percentfrom the previous year, revealed a Tourism Ministry report.
The tourism sector contributed 12.1 percentto the Southeast Asian nation's gross domestic product (GDP) growth andemployed up to 630,000 people.
However, according to government figures, foreigntourist arrivals in Cambodia dropped about 60 percent in February due to impactof the COVID-19./.