A Clean City Award poster in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district in December last year. Heng Chivoan
Everyone needs to maintain healthy habits by staying clean and taking care of their personal hygiene while implementing preventive health measures and other guidelines to stop Covid-19 transmission, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged.
The premier made the call in a letter marking the 10th National Clean City Day on February 28, which this year is observed under the theme “Clean Cities Support Tourism in Cambodia”.
He also announced the “Clean Cambodia” campaign to highlight the importance of cleanliness as the Kingdom prepares to host the SEA Games and the ASEAN Para Games 2023.
“Clean” in this case also refers to preserving Cambodia’s beautiful scenery, good environment, good hygiene, overall safety, quality of living and good taste.
Hun Sen, who is also the honorary chairman of the National Committee for Clean City Evaluations, outlined four priority tasks for all parties concerned in response to the theme of National Clean City Day 2022.
The first priority is that all relevant institutions, sub-national administrations and the private sector continue to responsibly maintain measures or legal standards, including tourist safety measures and minimum standard operating procedures for tourist services and the restoration of confidence and trust on all production chains in the tourist sector.
“We will hold capital and provincial contests for outstanding work in implementing tourist safety measures,” Hun Sen said.
The second priority is for everyone to continue to push to recover tourism through the implementation of the government’s strategic plan.
“The implementation of this plan is to promote the tourist sector aimed at turning Cambodia into a quality, safe and sustainable tourist destination that will bear fruit to support the recovery of economic growth from the Covid-19 crisis,” he continued.
Hun Sen said the third priority is that all relevant institutions, the Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) and the private sector must be united to enhance Cambodia’s honour and image through the influence of the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games 2023 to launch a social education campaign and promote the “Clean Cambodia” campaign.
Hun Sen said the fourth priority was adaptation to the “new normal” in the context of Covid-19.
The Kingdom’s capital and top three tourist towns – Battambang, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap – have recently won the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard Awards, beating out 21 other tourist destinations in the ASEAN region.
Battambang provincial governor Sok Lou said Battambang town has developed green and beautiful areas with many gardens for residents to enjoy fresh air and exercise.
“Currently, the province has also laid out plans to plant trees in the town and other districts,” he said.
