The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has begun matching tourism entrepreneurs in an effort to provide better quality services to tourists in Cambodia, company officials say.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of PATA’s Cambodia chapter, said the matches would allow better quality services among the tourism entrepreneurs of Cambodia to thrive.

“This is the best channel for connecting you to the people you need to know,” he said, adding that “it’s not just about what we know, but who we know in this business.”

The purpose of matching entrepreneurs is to strengthen relations, extend business networks, raise awareness of important issues, and to save time in Cambodia’s tourism industry, according to a press release from PATA.

Nuon Someth, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Tourism, said late last week that this was the second time PATA organised entrepreneur matching, and 63 companies took part, compared to only 40 companies during the previous event.

“We can consider this event as an important one for participating in improving tourism sector in Cambodia,” he said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism show the number of international tourists visiting Cambodia grew almost 27 per cent in the first six months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. Visitors coming to Cambodia during the first six months of the year numbered 1,756,652, compared to 1,385,029 in 2011.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the tourism situation in the Asia Pacific region and ASEAN, in particular, is better than other areas of the world.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rann Reuy at [email protected]