Compared to 2015, this was a 17 per cent increase. Although four fifths of the visitors were Cambodian citizens, the number of international visitors increased to 223,000 and was a year-on-year 3.1 per cent rise. The blossoming numbers of Chinese tourists was a significant factor in the increase.
Preah Sihanouk tourism department deputy-director Im Chantha noted that infrastructure in the town had improved in recent years. She said this coupled with more flights, added cruise ship visits and better bus connections with Phnom Penh were the main reasons for Sihanoukville’s popularity.
She carried on by saying the explanation for the 800,000 Cambodian visitors was the fact the nation had lots of public holidays on its annual calendar. She finished off with the codicil that Cambodians enjoyed the sea and seafood and Sihanoukville was the country’s premier seaside town.
Increasing numbers of tourists flock to Sihanoukville
News in Asia
The latest visitor figures released by the tourism bureau in Sihanoukville show it is fast evolving into a destination of choice. The figures show more than one million tourists arrived in the Cambodian seaside resort in the first six months of 2016.