PHNOM PENH (Nikkei) -- Cambodia is considering adding a little touch of China to its capital city to boost tourism, one of its main industries.

Plans call for a Chinatown to be set up in Phnom Penh's Orussey Market district, a centrally located area peppered with food shops and street stalls run by Cambodians of Chinese descent.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting the country, famous for the Angkor Wat temple complex, grew 35% to 330,000 in 2012. In comparison, it hosted slightly fewer than 180,000 Japanese tourists that year. Cambodia's tourism ministry aims to increase the number of Chinese tourists to 2 million in 2020. To realize that goal, it plans to display signs in Chinese and train personnel at hotels and other establishments to speak the language, among other steps.

Cambodia's income from international tourism totaled $2.2 billion last year.

Does that mean it will be open season if they're found off-reservation? Please?

Do Chinese tourists actually visit Chinatowns around the world? The idea sounds retarded. Tourists visit historical Chinatowns because they're, well, historical sites. The ones in Bangkok, New York and so on have history and are still used. Mickey Mouse Chinatowns built as an attraction not so much. If they built a Chinatown for the sole purpose of providing Chinese goods and restaurants to the Chinese community, then that's different... But labelling it a tourist attraction is stupid. I'm always amazed at the types of ideas that get floated around ministry offices. You'd think monkeys could come up with better ideas. I'm sure similarly idiotic ideas are flouted in the ministries of Western countries. The level of cluelessness just baffles sometimes...

Actually I quite like the idea. There are plenty of lanes around Orussey that would be perfect for this. Not so much for Chinese tourists specifically but tourists in general. There are already the Chinese medicinal herb places and stuff around, so if they focused and encouraged a specific zone and got some Dim Sum/Yum Cha joints going and maybe made them pedestrian-only at night it might work. Would be a nice alternative to Sts 172/136.

Historically the Chinese area was south of the canal in Daun Penh, around the Old Market, though, but Orussey would suit it.

I assume this would specifically be for the Chinese tour groups that bring down their own buses, staff, drinks, food, etc. and contribute nothing to the local economy other than swamping the markets rudely to take photos?

I think you are right---
In Thailand the chinese were bringing their no pay tours on cheap charters where the tourists stayed in chinese owned joints--road chines owned buses---ate in chinese owned restaurants and shopped in chinese owned shops----not a Baht going to locally owned business---
The Thai government has tried to crack down on this and they have seen a dramatic drop in chinese tourism--
The chinese come in hordes and have little regard for local customs--i had this vision of my snorkeling trip out to Koh Tao with the lunch included would be sent in solitude on the beach in between coral explorations---
NOT---2,000 Chinese in line at a massive buffet built at the mid point on an island suitable for 3 year olds to get their snorkeling in was what awaited me---
speed boat after speed boat pulling in with another 60 guests---an armada---

I think building special chinese zones is a great idea provided the Cambodian government does it in a way that rewards the local population---
It smells like the chinese are just going to move their scams to Cambodia because the Thai's caught on to their games---

most large cities in se asia have a china town, not built for tourist thou
BUT they were built by the Chinese that were brought in or migrated down to work
as far as the Chinese in Thailand, they account for over 28% of all tourism arrivals and phuket right now would be really dead without them

dont have to, already have one, its called chinhanoukville

Cool... soon Phnom Penh will look like The Great Wall -

Cruisemonkey wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2017 3:59 am Cool... soon Phnom Penh will look like The Great Wall -

I like that idea. A copy of the Great wall of China, so we dont have to go to China to see it. Even moto-dops will like it ,,,, another wall to piss against .