- Photo: 3kAngkor.
PHNOM PENH: (Bernama) Cambodia prides its resilience, unity and stability as it hosts the annual water festival on Thursday (Nov 14), sending a strong message to the world that the Kingdom is a secure and welcoming destination for investors and tourists.
The three-day celebration, which attracted over five million local and foreign tourists last year, signifies Cambodia’s growing prosperity in a peaceful environment, defying some critics who claim the country is unsafe for foreigners.
Two days before the mega event, Prime Minister Hun Manet ensured Cambodia had created a favourable environment for investments and tourists.
"I encourage our national and international guests here to help share the truth about Cambodia with your friends, colleagues and family and to invite them to visit and discover Cambodia for themselves.
"Cambodia warmly welcomes all foreign visitors, whether for investment, tourism or education and assures them that the country is genuinely safe for their visits,” said Manet, reported Fresh News.
The colourful pageantry on display will dominate Phnom Penh’s skyline for the next three days as Cambodians from rural provinces converge in the capital to celebrate the festival, which is also called "Bon Om Touk” in the local parlance.
As tradition goes, the event is held in late October or early November, marking the end of the rainy days and the beginning of the harvest season.
The finale of the festival is the boat race where some 350 boats are expected to participate in this year's celebration on the Tonle Sap River, which connects the Tonle Sap Lake and the majestic Mekong River.
An interesting natural phenomenon is the 147-kilometre river reversing its direction of flow caused by the swelling Mekong River due to heavy rainfall brought by the monsoon winds during the wet season between May to October.
During the festival the Kingdom showcases its diverse traditions, rich culture, and modernity - all of which shade the lives of every Cambodian and leave foreigners in awe.
Cambodians have reasons to celebrate.
The Philippines-based Asian Development Bank projects Cambodia’s economy to grow by 5.8 per cent this year and at 6.0 per cent next year.
The inflow of foreign investment stood at RM8.6 billion (US$2 billion) by mid-2024, according to the bank’s Asian Development Outlook September report.
Meanwhile, the World Bank said due to Cambodia’s rapid economic progress, the number of Cambodians living under the national poverty line dropped from 47.8 per cent in 2007 to 13.5 per cent in 2014.
The remarkable socio-economic milestones reflect how Cambodia successfully transformed its once backward economy, after the civil conflict, into a vibrant country in Southeast Asia. - Bernama
