By Vijian Paramasivam
PHNOM PENH, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Cambodia will showcase its rich Muslim cultural heritage and rural lifestyles to boost domestic tourism.
Renowned for its diverse cultures and ancient temples, the kingdom is now offering foreign visitors a chance to explore century-old Muslim communities and cultural identities preserved in remote villages.
“We are making efforts to make mosques a tourist attraction. In all provinces where there are Muslim kampong (villages), foreign tourists can see for themselves our history, culture and traditions.
“Here in Cambodia, we are called Cham (Muslims) and we have our own culture,” Cults and Religions Ministry’s State Secretary Yob Ahskary told Bernama on the sidelines of the “Cambodia Muslim Friendly Tourism Forum and Fair”.
The Cambodia Tourism Ministry is hosting the fair themed “Assalamualaikum Cambodia: A Safe, Warm and Friendly Destination” at the Al-Serkal Mosque in Phnom Penh from October 9 to 11 to attract more Muslim tourists into the country.
Muslims comprise about five per cent or 800,000 people of the 17 million population in predominantly Buddhist Cambodia.
The kingdom’s vibrant tourism sector is best known for its UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites, including Angkor Wat and the Preah Vihear Temple.
In addition, exotic islands, night markets and historical ruins continue to woo foreign visitors.
“We have 650 mosques across the country, and we are transforming old mosques along the Mekong River to make them a tourist attraction.
“Some wooden mosques are over 100 years old, and people are still using them as a place of worship. We want outsiders to see how Muslims are living in harmony in a Buddhist majority country,” said Ahskary.
About six million foreigners visited the tourist-dependent kingdom last year, of which nearly half a million were Muslim travellers.
The government continues to ramp up tourism infrastructures like airports, seaports and highways to position the country as a key tourist destination in the ASEAN region.
The RM6 billion (US$1.5 billion) Techo International Airport that began operations on September 9 is another key project to improve connectivity.
Cambodian Tourism Ministry’s Under Secretary of State Mohammat Younes told Bernama that the government is focusing on multiple strategies to woo more Muslim visitors.
“Our strategy is to focus on accessibility, environment, communication, and services. We are expanding connectivity to more Muslim countries.
"More International airlines from Muslim destinations are already flying to Cambodia. Officially, now we have four airlines landing here and we will add another two more international flights soon,” said Younes.
-- BERNAMA
