After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesia Trade and Tourism Promotion (ITTP) will be returning next week to Cambodia.

Hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in Cambodia, the fair will take place for the 14th time from August 4 to August 6  at the Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Center in the capital.

According Lauti Nia Astri, Charge d’Affairs Ad Interim of the Indonesian Embassy, the three-day exhibition aims to promote not only Indonesian products and tourist destinations, but also prestigious Indonesian schools and government-sponsored scholarships.

“The public will also be entertained to a talk show, performance arts, an Indonesian song singing contest, a cooking contest, a fashion show, games and live music at the 14th ITTP,” he said. “Visitors have the chance to win prizes at the end of each day, and entry to the event is free.”

The event will begin with an opening ceremony that includes remarks from senior officials from the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and cultural performances by the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh. Booths will showcase goods and services offered to the public, Lauti added.

The Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of Cambodia established diplomatic ties in 1957, four years after Cambodia obtained independence from France. History however shows that cultural ties between the two Southeast Asian countries date as far back as to the Syailendra Dynasty, a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th century in the days of the Mataram Kingdom in Java and the Jayavarman II Dynasty’s rule during the Angkor Empire in Cambodia.

In terms of economic ties, Cambodia and Indonesia have been close trading partners.

On investment and trade between the two countries, Sok Chenda Sophea, Secretary-General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), expressed optimism.

From 2017-2021, the trade between Indonesia and Cambodia increased by 1.90%. While Indonesian exports to Cambodia grew 0.96%, imports from Cambodia increased 15.8%. Last year, the trade volume between Cambodia and Indonesia totalled $948.533 million, surging by 48.27% from the previous year.

Trade between Cambodia and Indonesia rose by 43.2% to $304 million in the first quarter of this year, according to a recent General Department of Customs and Excise report.