Q:  Can you provide your personal biography for the Korean readers?

A : I am an orphan because of the civil war and I don’t know even my birthday. I started learn how to live with my own since I was 13 years old. From 1985-1993, I took a lot of challenges and opportunities as a street boy but never forget learning. I have started working since I was young.
 
In between 1993-1999, I changed many working places and worked at UN’s offices, local NGOs, TV broadcasting, Telecom company, Tour and Travel operator, and finally at a Cambodian airline company.
 
Today I have my own business as a tour company and some social works, as the Co-Chair of the Tourism Working Group of the Cambodia Government-Private Sector Forum (G-PSF), an advisor to the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, also a real estate business man. 

Q:  In the beginning why do you decide to start up your own business?
 
A:  Experience and challenge are the key factors that pushed me to start up my business. As I told you already, I got a lot experiences since I left my family when I was 13 years old. From that time I learned a lot of experiences, such as languages, management skill, financing, communication, marketing and so on; therefore, I decided to establish World Express Tours and Travel to start up my own business on July 14, 1999.

Q:  How is your business now?

A: From a small local service company in the beginning now, World Express Tours and Travel is one of the top two tour operators in Cambodia among more than 500 tours and travel companies and I employ 40 Cambodian workers in 4 branch offices, including 2 in Phnom Penh capital city; one in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat temple; and one in Koh Kong province of Cambodia. Besides, World Express Tours and Travel, I have many cooperated counterparts in various destination in South East Asia, and Pacific including Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Q:  As I have learned about you, besides the two positions that most of the people know you, you have the other right? If like this , can you tell me what are they?  How do you manage your time  for many position like these?

A: After World Express Tours and Travel was established and became one the successful tour operator in the country just 5 years, I was elected as the Secretary General of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agency (CATA), a national tourism organization of Cambodia in 2003, and became the president from 2005 until I resigned in 2011. At that time, in 2004 I also became the Co-Chair of the Tourism Working Group of the Cambodia Government-Private Sector Forum (G-PSF) until today.  Besides my own company, I also spend more than 40% of my time and some budget for these kinds of social responsibility to promote the tour operation service in Cambodia. 

Q:  Korean is one of the top five market of the Cambodia inbound tour, so do you have any work, tour package, or any projects with them?

A: For the inbound services, World Express Tours and Travel has some services link with South Korean visitors, especially with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), while outbound service, the company just cooperated with Sejong Tour and sent some group of Cambodian tourists to visit South Korea. We just organized a few tour packages to South Korean in recently.

Q:  How does potential of  Korean tourist to the Cambodian tourism sector?

A : Today tourism is one of the main drive to boost economic growth. Among the 2.2 million foreign visitors in the first semester of this year, South Korean is the third follow Vietnamese, and Chinese. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s statistic, from January to June, Cambodia received 242,055 South Korean visitors. It increased 1% compare to 239.585 in the same period last year; follow Chinese with 275,030 visitors, and 422,251 Vietnamese visitors.

Q:  Do you know what kind of service that Cambodian tour operators can provide to the Korean tourists? And what if they cannot provide now ? What about the future, is there any new service to launch in order to attract more Korean visitors?

A :  South Korean is one of the nations in Asia Pacific that has direct flight to Phnom Penh, capital city, and Siem Reap province, the main cultural and historical tourism destination in Cambodia and the home of Angkor Wat - UNESCO's World Heritage and hundred temples, therefore we have direct flight, Korean food, Korean hotels and also the Korean tour. Among some 500 tours and travel companies in the country, there are some 20 tours and travel South Korean companies, while some hotels and restaurants also operated by South Korean businessmen. Anyway besides these kind of services we don't have any special for Korean visitors yet, but we will in the near future.

Q:  As I know, today there are two Korean airlines (Korean Air and Asianna Airline) are operating daily flight to Cambodia, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap? Do you think it enough to attract Korean tourists?

A : There are two South Korean Airlines have launched their direct flight from South Korea to Cambodia, Korean Air, and Asianna Airlines. But because of the growth of South Korean visitors, Skywings Asia Airline, which is a local registered Cambodian carriage, launched its first direct flight from Seoul of South Korea to Sihanoukville, a Cambodia's main beach resort destination. It is a charters flight but Skywings Asia Airline is considering to launch its regular flight in the coming winter season 2014-2015.   

Q:  How will the new airline contribute to the Cambodian tourism development sector?

A:  Skywings Asia Airline will make more gateway for South Korean visitors to visit Cambodia. It will also promote more link between the important tourism pole in Cambodia, Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, and Preah Sihanoukville's beach.

Q :  Do you have any other ideas about the Korean tourists, businessmen, and investors?

A: Even the number of the retuned South Korean tourists to Cambodia is small, but with more gateways, more destinations, Cambodia expected to attract them back and also have more chances to welcome newcomers. Currently, most of the South Korean Tourists have visited Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and now Sihanoukville. They like visiting and learning Cambodian culture, tradition, history, natural resources, and they also need more creative scenery, more than entertainment services and so on.

Q : Do you have any other comments to added?

A: I think Cambodia and Korea should exchange more visitors in order to boost more understanding each other. You know before Korean visitor came to Cambodia, how many Cambodian people can speak Korean, but now is different, there are many people started learning and speaking Korean. Cambodian people never know Korean cuisine especially Kimchi but now they know and also like eating.

Mr. A's Biography
Current Position

1999-2014: Owner and Managing Director of the World Express Tours and Travel.

2004-2014: Co-Chair of the Tourism Working Group of the Cambodia Government-Private Sector Forum (G-PSF), Advisor to the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, and a real estate businessman.

Previous Position
2005-2011:  President of Cambodia Association of Travel Agency (CATA)
2003-2005 : Secretary General of Cambodia Association of Travel Agency (CATA)
1993-1999 : UN's official, local NGOs, TV broadcasting, Telecom company, Tour and Travel operator, and finally at a Cambodian airline company
1986-1993 : A Cambodia refugee at the Cambodian-Thai border camp
1985           : Leave the Family
 
Date of Birth: January 01, 1972

Place of Birth: Chhloung District, Kratie Province

Education: Bachelor Degree of Management
Languge : Khmer, Thai, English, and Mandarin