PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday launched a mobile payment system to enable tourists to scan and pay at 3.3 million retail shops across the Southeast Asian country.
Speaking at the launching ceremony in the northwestern cultural province of Siem Reap, Chea Serey, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, said the app will facilitate international tourists' payments, contributing to boosting the tourism sector.
The app will contribute to promoting tourism sector in Cambodia by providing an electronic means of payment enabling international tourists visiting Cambodia to make payment for goods and services efficiently and conveniently, said the chief of Cambodia's central bank.
International tourists simply need to download the Bakong Tourists App and install the app on their mobile phones upon arrival in Cambodia, then register to create an account using an email.
"International tourists can top up their accounts through business partners and make payment transactions by scanning the KHQR Code with approximately 3.3 million retail merchants within Cambodia," she added.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate sector.
The kingdom received 3.16 million international tourists in the first half of 2024, up nearly 23 percent over the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Five largest sources of international tourist arrivals to Cambodia are Thailand, Vietnam, China, Laos and the United States. ■
