The overall growth of tourist arrivals compared to 2018 is about 10 percent, the Ministry reports. Between January and October 2019 the Kingdom received 4.81 million international tourists, out of whom 1.86 million, or 38.7 percent of all tourists, were Chinese.
Other nations are far behind China in supplying visitors flow to Cambodia. Vietnam is ranked second with a total of 63,700 visitors, up 9.1 percent, while visitors from Thailand reached 28,100 – an increase of 22.4 percent.
The large number of Chinese tourists is the main driving force for development of tourism industry in the country.
The overwhelming majority of international visitors enter the Kingdom by air – 3.39 million tourists, some 14.7 percent more than last year. Two of the Kingdom’s three international airports record increases in arrivals: Phnom Penh International Airport welcomed 12.7 percent more passengers in January–October while Sihanoukville International Airport reports a whooping 308 percent increase. Siem Reap International Airport experiences a slight dip in international arrivals – it received 10.9 percent less travellers than last year.
In 2018, 6.2 million overseas travellers visited Cambodia, a 10.7 percent increase from 2017. This year, if the tendency persists, the Kingdom will set a new record.
Tourist Arrivals Up in Cambodia in QIII – Thanks to Chinese Travellers
News in Asia
The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia reports a 30 percent growth of Chinese tourist arrivals during the first nine months of 2019 compared to the same period last year. The Chinese remain the most numerous group of foreign visitors to Cambodia.