With Khmer New Year arriving next week, Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned tourism-related businesses against increasing service prices during the three-day holiday.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for students at Vanda Institute of Accounting in Koh Pich yesterday, the prime minister appealed to hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and transportation businesses not to inflate charges.

“If we charge the same as normal or only increase it a little, we will get clients next year. But if we increase the price a lot, they will go to other places instead next time,” he said.

The premier said with more travel destinations in Cambodia proving popular and transport options increasingly available, tourists can easily change their plans if they are dissatisfied.

Ang Kim Eang, president of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the issue of businesses inflating prices during peak tourist seasons had been a long-standing concern.

“It is time that businesses think about professionalism and morality in doing business,” Eang said, adding that he had received reports of businesses doubling their normal prices for local and international tourists during peak times.