Europe Travel Expert (ETE) Cambodia is building on the Kingdom’s young and intrepid population to promote its attractive travel packages to Turkey – a country renowned for its scenic and historical tourism sites.

Turkey, straddling Asia and Europe, boasts some world-famous tourist attractions, to suit the growing number of affluent Cambodian travellers who prefer adventurous vacations.

Some of the must-visit tourist spots in Turkey are the ruins of Troy, Pergamum, Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary, Cappadocia, with its valleys and fairy chimneys, Anitkabir (the Mausoleum of Ataturk), the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace – all recognised by Unesco as World Heritage Sites.

Last but not the least, for shopaholics, the 500-year-old Grand Bazaar is the ideal stopover.

The flight time between Phnom Penh and Istanbul – Turkey’s largest city – is around 11 hours.

“We need to create something that suits the younger generation. Our target is to focus on young travellers because they can speak some English, and are active on social media and internet savvy. Cambodia is a [ripe] potential market.

“Tourists are getting younger, and this is a trend all over Asia, while social media will help expose them to these [adventurous] places. Social media [encourages]youngsters to travel and this is the current trend,” said Conrad Wee, president of ETE Cambodia.

ETE Cambodia hosted a half-day travel seminar in Phnom Penh on February 15 to promote Turkey, which was attended by travel agents – SKP Travel Co Ltd, Elite Travel and Tours, Ann Leo, Hong Star Travel & Tours, Global Holiday Travel and Tour Co Ltd, DLT Travel and Tours, RTR Tours Co Ltd, HIS(Cambodia) Travel Co Ltd, STB Travel & Tours Co Ltd, B2B Cambodia Co Ltd, Cina Travel Co Ltd and May Flower Cambodia.

Le Petra Restaurant presented authentic Turkish food to guests.

In addition, officials from the Turkish Embassy in the capital were also present.

According to Conrad, since ETE’s establishment in Cambodia, it has witnessed a steady growth in the travel industry as more Cambodians purchase affordable packages to visit Europe.

ETE Cambodia has been in the tour and travel industry for nearly 30 years.

“We bring our experiences and expertise to Cambodia. ETE Cambodia uses Malaysian guides in Europe so they can give travellers Asian hospitality.

“Our guides in Europe are all very experienced and they will escort tourists from Cambodia all the way to Europe and bring them back to Cambodia,” Conrad added.

The company is offering a special “early bird” package for the first 10 Cambodian tourists. It is offering a 10-day, seven-night travel package to Turkey for only $1,199, departing on April 9 and April 11.

More Cambodians are going on vacation to foreign countries thanks to a stable economy and rising disposable incomes. Cambodia’s outbound travel stood at slightly more than two million travellers last year – 2.1 per cent growth compared to 2018.

“In 2018, we had around 200 Cambodian tourists, and last year we had some 500 tourists travelling to Europe. The numbers keep increasing – it’s a very positive sign. We can say it is more than double-digit growth.

“Cambodia is a potential market, as the middle class is on the rise and the young population is able to explore more destinations.

“We are targeting around 500 to 1,000 people a year from Cambodia,” Conrad added.

Last year some 40 million foreign tourists visited Turkey – a gateway to Europe.