Cambodia: Visitors to the coast up significantly

• Dec 23, 2019

The Ministry of Tourism projects that at least 1.3 million foreign nationals and 3.4 million domestic tourists will visit the Cambodian coast in 2019.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Sea Festival on Saturday, minister Thong Khon said the number of tourists, domestic and international, visiting coastal areas in the Kingdom continues to increase every year.

This year, the Sea Festival, now in its eighth edition, is being held in Kampot province.

The minister expects foreign tourists visiting the coast to increase by 4.5 percent in 2019. About 15 percent of all foreign tourists in the Kingdom choose to visit the coast.

Domestic tourists will increase by 3 percent, Mr Khon said.

The minister praised the Cambodian coast during his speech. “The diversity and cultural resources on the coast and on the islands is a great advantage for Cambodia.”

By 2020, coastal areas will be receiving 1.7 million international tourists and 3.5 million national tourists a year. By 2030, about 7.5 million international tourists will visit the coast every year, the minister said, noting that this implies an average growth of 10 percent a year.

Cambodia’s coastline stretches 450 kilometres in four provinces – Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Kep, and Koh Kong.

Cambodia became a member of World Bay Club in 2011, when the first Sea Festival was held. The festival is an annual event held on a different coastal province every year on a rotation basis.

It aims to promote the coast’s tourism potential and support the government’s efforts to develop the industry sustainably.

Cambodia will host the 18th World Congress of Worlds’ Most Beautiful Bays Club in 2022.

Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50672617/visitors-to-the-coast-up-significantly