Cambodia records 3.74 mln int’l tourists in 7 months, up 23 pct

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — Cambodia attracted 3.74 million foreign visitors in the first seven months of 2024, up 23 percent from almost 3.04 million in the same period last year, said a Ministry of Tourism’s report on Saturday.
Thailand still topped the chart among the international tourist arrivals to the Southeast Asian country during the January-July period this year, followed by Vietnam and China, the report said.
Some 1.14 million Thais traveled to Cambodia, up 11.6 percent, the report said, adding that 757,437 Vietnamese and 463,980 Chinese visited the kingdom, up 37.4 percent and 45.6 percent, respectively.
According to the report, 36 percent of the total international tourists came to Cambodia by air, and 64 percent by land and waterways.
Cambodia has launched the Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year 2024 and the “Visit Siem Reap 2024” campaign earlier this year, aiming at revitalizing the tourism industry in the post-pandemic era.
“These initiatives will give a boost to the tourism sector, attracting more foreign tourists to Cambodia in general and to the Angkor Archaeological Park in particular,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said during the launch of the “Visit Siem Reap 2024” campaign in March.
He added that the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport in northwest Siem Reap province is becoming a potential magnet for international tourists to the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park. ■