Minister of Tourism Warned Tour Operations Who Are Selling Zero Packages Tour Because It Has Effected to the National Prestige and National Tourism Policy

July 15, 2019 btbtic 715 Comments

(Phnom Penh): Owing to Zero Package Tour actions are still existed in Cambodian tourism sector which have frequently effected to national prestige and international tourists, minister of tourism H.E. Thong Khon announced to curb such kind of business, warning to take seriously actions for any tour operator who have still ignorantly committed. Such strongly announcement was made within a closing ceremony of the 1st Consultation Workshop on Siem Reap Tourism Development Master Plan Preparation in last week. What are the zero package tours in tourism sector? The selling of zero package tours is referred to the low price package tour selling actions, or selling in lost – price by requiring international guests to buy in high price in order to meet these loses. H.E. Minister Thong Khon stressed that tour operators, who are selling zero package tours, have been disease who destroy tourist destination in Siem Reap area as well as in the whole Cambodia, because international visitors, visited to Cambodia through those companies are lost and disappointed, sometime some tourists are no longer come to Cambodia in next times. According to His Excellency, this is a problem impacting on prestige and national tourism policy needed to be immediately stopped. We do not blame on unknown – tourists; but zero package tour selling companies are tourist destination destroyers – it means that they run business by not think about profits in package; but they bring tourist to be cheated through selling fake souvenirs and jewelries, poor qualified products in return for excessively commissions, until some cases the tour companies or tour operators fall in debt and not pay, or pay late to the business owners leading to service quality get gradually declined. He expressed that this the course that some hotels and restaurants are shut down, because zero package tour companies do not pay, or pay late and some cases run away. He said, adding that certain companies bought Angkor visiting entrance ticket of 62$ for 3 days period; but tell lie tourists and bring tourist to watch Angkor just only one day, and the second day continue to visit Beng Melea temple (true price is 5$) and Koh Ker temple for another day (true price is 10$). They told tourists that Beng Melea and Koh Ker temples are also Angkor Wat, by they get profits from tourist are up to 15$. This matter had caused H.E. declared that the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry Economy and Finance and APSARA Authority had agreed each other, for the future, will include Beng Melea and Koh Ker temples into package tour of Angkor temple in order for companies not cheat tourists anymore. However, when tourists have known about this cheat, even though the most attractiveness of Angkor temple, some tourists criticized and spook bad about Cambodian tourist destinations, some do not want to visit Angkor, and other some are no longer get trusted in tour operators in Cambodia, which are the causes leading to impact the national reputation and lose the national interest, and also impact on doing business of some hotels and restaurants, this according the words of H.E. Thong Khon. With a strong words, H.E. Thong Khon declared to absolutely ban “Cambodia does not allow tour operators, tourism companies to run zero package tour business in tourism sector”