Prime Minister announces ambitious plan to attract film crews

Prime Minister Hun Manet has revealed that Cambodia is preparing to introduce “film tourism” packages, following the country’s successful promotion as a tourist destination via international films such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie .

Speaking to tour guides in Siem Reap province during an unofficial visit to the country’s popular tourist destination on September 3, Hun Manet explained that through this package, film crews will benefit from discounted prices on tickets to selected locations – for example, in the Angkor Archaeological Park – as not everyone will be charged.

“We will designate certain places for “film tourism”.

“For example, if a region is designated as one of these locations, when a crew comes to film, we will offer them a special price, regardless of the number of days they stay.

“After filming is completed, we even offer incentives to film companies,” he said.

Hun Manet explained that once the new policy comes into effect, individual cast and crew members of a production will not be charged – a flat rate price will be offered instead.

A tour guide who met Hun Manet said he asked many international tourists how they heard about Cambodia and made the decision to come here.

He added that many of them said they discovered Cambodia through Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Hun Manet also informed the gathered tour guides of the latest efforts of the Cambodian government to restore the tourism sector, hard hit, among other things, by the Covid-19 pandemic.

These measures include the recently introduced electronic arrival system, adjusting visiting hours at Angkor and refining the ticket purchasing process, as well as promoting Cambodia tourism through events like the recent Gumball 3000 .

Some tourist guides encouraged Hun Manet to promote more modern tourism promotions, such as those applied in Thailand.

Currently, Angkor site ticket prices are divided into three categories: US$37 (RM156) for a one-day pass, US$62 (RM262) for a three-day pass, and US$72 (RM304) for a seven-day pass.

Nearly 700,000 foreign guests purchased tickets to visit Angkor Archaeological Park, generating more than US$32 million (RM135 million) in the first nine months of 2024.

This represents an increase of almost a third compared to 2023, according to Angkor Enterprise data. — The Phnom Penh Post/ANN