Tourism players are hopeful that Cambodia can capitalise on the Francophonie Summit in November to better position the nation for economic prosperity, with calls being made for the tourism sector to seize the “unique opportunity”.
“Hosting the Francophonie Summit is a unique opportunity for Cambodia to reposition itself… as a hub for trade, talents, investments, long‑stay residents and international events,” said Catherine Germier-Hamel, founder of Millennium Destinations.
“The summit creates a powerful platform to renew tourism cooperation between Cambodia and France, especially around sustainable tourism and skills development, but its real impact will depend on the concrete projects that follow.”
Marc Emmanuel, general manager of Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, said it would be a “missed opportunity” not to coordinate a series of events around the summit to secure long-term impact.
“We should seize this opportunity to bring culture, art, history, education and showcase it, not only during the summit, but throughout an extended period.”
Jacques Guichandut, founder and managing director of All Dreams Cambodia and N&A Cambodia Director, called on the government and private sector to work together to ensure the summit becomes a legacy event by anchoring three pillars: infrastructure, narrative and business links.
He said investments in roads, signage, public spaces, connectivity and conference facilities in the capital will benefit residents, businesses and future events “long after the summit”.
Regarding narrative, Guichandut pointed to the opportunity for Phnom Penh to “tell a fuller story” about political stability, economic growth, the new international airport and urban culture.
Guichandut also recommended that the summit be used to structure biannual B2B platforms with francophone tour operators, airlines and investors.
He believes that an accurate alignment of the political summit with a professional tourism summit organised by the Cambodia Tourism Board and the private sector could bring quick returns on investment.
“These key players would go home with a renewed image of the country and concrete reasons to promote it differently, not as an extension but as a destination in their brochures, websites and campaigns – but that has to be organised now to fully capitalise on this unique opportunity,” he said.
