On November 2nd, the online opening ceremony of the 2021 Chinese Training Class for Cambodia Tour Guides was held online by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Cambodia Ministry of Tourism and Chinese Embassy in Cambodia. Zhang Xu, Chinese minister of culture and tourism, Thong Khon, Cambodian tourism minister, and Wang Wentian, Chinese minister to Cambodia, attended the ceremony and gave speeches. The training class included “Chinese language improvement, professional skill enhancement, historical and cultural introduction and emergency handling”. About 300 professional Cambodia tour guides and nearly 1000 tourism practitioners engaged in the 30-day training.
Zhang Xu said that the training was a specific measure to implement the following result of “2019 China-Cambodia Cultural Tourism Year” as well as a vivid example of the two countries’ cooperation in fighting against the pandemic and constructing a community with a shared future. China and Cambodia were family-like neighbors and caring friends. He sincerely hoped that the two countries would overcome the pandemic as early as possible; recover people-to-people exchanges and push forward China-Cambodia strategic partnership in all aspects to develop continuously, so as to lay a solid foundation for China-Cambodia community for a common destiny.
Wang Wentian said in his speech that China had been attaching importance to bilateral tourism cooperation which was a significant component of the construction of China-Cambodia community with a shared destiny. Currently, prime minister Samdech Hun Sen had authorized plans including the safe recovery strategy of tourism in Cambodia, “sandbox travel plan” and other tourism plans, indicating a full re-opening of Cambodia tourism. Against such background, the online Chinese training class for tour guides was a timely measure, because it was in line with the need to improve Cambodian tourism practitioners’ capability and to contribute to tourism.
Thong Khon said that China and Cambodia were friends and belonged to a community with shared fate. With help from Chinese government, Cambodia would accelerate to realize herd immunity to boost it’s economy and improve people’s livelihood. Currently, Cambodian Tourism Ministry already launched “sandbox travel plan” to prepare for arriving guests. The training class was a significant part of China-Cambodia tourism exchange and cooperation and post-pandemic tourism recovery. I hoped learners could value their opportunities to improve their level of service and Chinese-speaking, so as to be fully prepared for the tourism recovery and the reopening of Cambodia tourism market.
The training class was an innovative measure to launch international personnel training by Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism against the regular prevention and control of the pandemic. Recently, to improve China-Cambodia tourism cooperation, China invited Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap of Cambodia to join Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance and to attend the “Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance Conference and Lancang-Mekong Mayor Forum on Culture and Tourism”.
Consul General of Cambodia in Chongqing promoted Cambodian culture and tourism during the conference.