Cambodia plans to compete in an ASEAN-wide restaurant competition at the end of the year, a sign the country is moving toward integration with neighbouring states, experts said.

The Kingdom had been excluded from the ASEAN Skill Competition for the past eight years, Try Chhiv, director of the National Committee for Tourism Professionals, said yesterday. ASEAN integration, which includes the tourism sector, has pushed Cambodia to improve its restaurant services.

“Joining this competition means enhancing the quality and value of Cambodia’s tourism. We have to join because we are a member of the ASEAN family,” Try Chhiv said.

The Ministry of Tourism is organising local competitions in order to find candidates for the regional competition that will be held in Malaysia, tourism officials said last week.

Employees of any restaurant in Cambodia would be eligible to compete in the food-preparation competition.

“The ASEAN skill competition is very important for developing and increasing skills in the region towards an international level, to upgrade the standard,” said Sam Prumnea, secretary of state for the Ministry of Tourism.

The competition was an important part of regional co-operation in the tourism sector, he added.

Participating in the competition will help increase the status of Cambodia and contribute to increasing the capacity of the country’s hospitality, Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said.

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