Cambodia receives 1.79 million foreign tourists in 5 months
PHNOM PENH, July 9 (Xinhua) — Cambodia has attracted 1.79 million foreign visitors in the first five months of this year, up 19 percent compared with the 1.5 million tourists in the same period last year, the country’s tourism ministry said Tuesday.
During the January-May period, Vietnam remains top of the chart with 341,000 visitors, up 11 percent year-on-year, followed by South Korea with 215,200 visitors, up 5 percent, and China with 202,400 tourists, up 53 percent, according to the ministry.
Its neighboring countries, Laos and Thailand, ranked No. 4 and 5 respectively. About 146,300 Laotians and 96,000 Thais visited Cambodia during the five-month period, up 80 percent and 23 percent respectively.
About 49 percent of visitors came to Cambodia by air, 49 percent by land and the rest by waterway.
Tourism is one of the sectors supporting the economy in this impoverished Southeast Asian nation. Last year, the country received some 3.5 million foreigners, earning more than 2 billion U.S. dollars.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said at a tourism forum on June 19 that the country expected to receive around 4 million foreign tourists this year.
Cambodia is well-known for its 12th century Angkor Wat Temple, a world heritage site, which is situated about 315 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.
Also, a pristine coastline, which is one of the world’s most beautiful bays, stretches in the length of 450 kilometers in four provinces of Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot and Kep.