PHNOM PENH, 14 May 2019: Cambodia’s tourism ministry reported tourist arrivals increased by 9.7% during the first quarter of the year to reach 1.86 million.
Arrivals at three gateway airports, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville reached 1.29 million with overland and sea arrivals making up the balance.
Khmer Times reported details of the tourism ministry’s tourist headcount stating it showed Chinese visits during the first quarter reached 683,4367 up by a massive 35.1%.
The increase in Chinese visits bucks the negative trend monitored by neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam during the first three months of the year. Most Asian countries have also seen a slowdown in visits from China, although it still remains the largest single supplier for Southeast Asia.
According to Khmer Times, Vietnamese tourists ranked second with 186,863 visits, followed by Laos with 121,489, Thailand with 97,942 and South Korea with 95,719 tourists.
Just over 1 million visitors made Phnom Penh the starting point of their Cambodia tour while Siem Reap saw 787,900 foreign tourists. Coastal provinces such as Preah Sihanouk, Kep, Kampot and Koh Kong received 303,285 tourists.
Last year, Cambodia welcomed 6.2 million tourists, with the tourism sector earning USD4.3 billion.
This year, Cambodia forecasts 6.7 million tourists increasing to 7 million in 2020.
(Source: Khmer Times)
