Cambodia ‘ready’ to welcome tourists to 2023 SEA Games

Cambodia has expressed that it is now more than ready to welcome the deluge of foreign visitors coming to Cambodia for the 2023 Southeast Asian Games.

To read about 2023 SEA game just 100 days away.

The Ministry of Tourism earlier estimated that 250,000 to 500,000 foreign tourists from other parts of Asia, Europe, North America, etc. are coming for the Games, the biggest sporting event to visit this country of 16 million people.

Cambodia is also expecting more than 10,000 athletes, coaches and sports officials from Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. 

“Cambodia, through the Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee and Cambodia Asean Para Games Organising Committee, are ready to welcome the tourists, fans, delegates and others who are coming for the SEA Games,” CAMSOC Chairman Tea Banh said. 

 “We are ready to show to them the Cambodian warmth and hospitality, added Banh, who is also deputy prime minister and defence minister of Cambodia. 

Banh made the statement during a recent site visit to the WorldBridge Sports Village and other infrastructure under construction for the Games. He was accompanied during the visit by Tourism Minister/CAMSOC Vice Chair Thong Khon, CAMSOC CEO Vath Chamroeun and other top officials of CAMSOC and National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC). 

CAMSOC and CAMAPGOC are the two entities directly in-charge of all activities related to the 32^nd Cambodia SEA Games, which is going to be held from May 5 to 17, and 12^th ASEAN Para Games, which will follow from June 3 to 9. 

Cambodia is ready with accommodation, transport of visitors, etc

Chamroeun said that Cambodia’s readiness to host the Games will make it a more popular destination for many sports-loving tourists.

Unlike Vietnam, which was forced to postpone the 2021 SEA Games by a year due to concerns related to the COVID-19, Cambodia has been on time with preparations, according to local and foreign observers.

“Indonesia alone has tens of thousands of fans that went to the SEA Games in Vietnam. We were told by their Chef De Mission that thousands more want to come for the Cambodia Games,” Chamroeun noted.

“We are ready to provide them everything they need, including accommodation, security and transportation. We have prepared thousands of rooms in five, four and three-star hotels,” he added. “We want to ensure that our guests enjoy Cambodian hospitality and will have a comfortable, happy, safe and secure stay in the country.” 

DPM Banh said they have also prepared lots of transportation units that can ferry visitors overland from countries that share a land border with Cambodia like Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. 

“We are well-prepared for that,” he said. “This is the first time for us to host the SEA Games. We want to make sure that everyone will have a great time here.”