Tourists visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province on January 21. Heng Chivoan
International tourism showed a positive trend in the first month of 2024, with over half of all foreign tourists originating from Cambodia’s three neighbouring countries, as reported by the Ministry of Tourism.
In January, Cambodia saw 540,023 foreign visitors, a 34% increase from the 402,943 recorded in the same month of 2023. The majority of these travellers came from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, contributing to 52.87% of the total. Thailand led with 163,661 visitors (30.3%), followed by Vietnam with 85,700 (15.9%) and Laos with 36,153 (6.7%).
Khieu Thy, president of the Khmer Angkor Tourist Guide Association (KATGA), told The Post on March 6 about the steady rise in foreign visitors to Cambodian tourist sites since the end of October, especially Angkor Wat.
He noted that tourists from India and eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria are showing growth.
He anticipates that if the global economic situation remains stable and no unforeseen events occur, the country will attract more international tourists this year than in 2023.
Thy noted that the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) currently receives about 25 flights daily.
“From the end of October 2023, I’ve observed a continuous increase in foreign tourists to Siem Reap, a trend likely to persist. About 80% of the [association’s] members have employment for 17 to 20 days out of the month, with the rest having work for between 10 and 17 days,” he said.
Thy, a long-time tourism sector employee, urged relevant authorities and the private sector to collaborate more closely to enhance the country’s tourism potential, stressing that the industry can generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the state.
He suggested that the government focus on improving aesthetics and security, and develop new tourism products, offering quality souvenirs and pricing strategies.
Anheng Sokpheak, president of the Cambodia Chinese Tour Guide Association (CCTGA), said the number of foreign visitors has been rising steadily post-pandemic. He noted that these travellers greatly contribute to job creation and the national economy.
However, he stressed that the current number of Chinese tourists, once the largest group in 2019, just before the pandemic, remains modest.
“As tour operators, we are optimistic about Cambodia welcoming more vacationers,” he said.
In 2019, the country received over 6.61 million foreign tourists, a 6.6% increase from 2018. The three ASEAN neighbours provided 1.61 million, accounting for 24.33% of the total.
In 2023, Cambodia welcomed 5.45 million foreign guests, a 139.5% rise compared to 2022. Foreign tourism revenue in 2023 was about $3.04 billion, surging by 115% from $1.41 billion in 2022, according to the ministry.
