1-Angkor-Wat-sunrise-from-Facebo
PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia recorded 3.92 million international tourists in the first nine months of 2023, a sharp rise of 211 per cent from 1.26 million over the same period last year, said a Ministry of Tourism's report released on Friday.
Thailand topped the chart among the international arrivals to the Southeast Asian kingdom during the January-September period this year, followed by Vietnam and China, the report said.
Nearly 1.34 million Thais, 730,075 Vietnamese and 405,514 Chinese traveled to Cambodia within the above-mentioned period, up 189 per cent, 156 per cent, and 549 per cent, respectively, it added.
According to the report, 1.34 million foreign tourists visited Cambodia by air, up 186 per cent, and 2.58 million by land and waterways, up 224 per cent.
Ministry of Tourism's Secretary of State and Spokesman Top Sopheak said the country is expected to receive at least 5 million international arrivals this year.
"Cambodia is a safe tourist destination, and all foreign tourists, including Chinese ones, are warmly welcome to visit the kingdom," he told Xinhua.
Sopheak is confident that the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, which started its commercial operations on Oct. 16, would attract more international tourists to Cambodia.
"This new international airport is crucial to helping boost the country's tourism, economy, trade, investment," he said. "We hope it will attract new international airlines, so they will bring more tourists and investors to Siem Reap province, the home of the famed Angkor Archeological Park."
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. - Xinhua
