Thailand
Cambodia: Nearly 1 million foreign tourists visited Kingdom in Jan-Aug
The Kingdom has seen a significant rise in the number of international tourists in the January-August period of 2022, reflecting the industry recovery thanks to the government resuming the border to vaccinated tourists.
Figures from the Ministry of Tourism stated that Cambodia has seen a 580 percent rise in the number of international tourists to nearly 1 million during the first eight months of 2022.
The figures were shared by Thong Rathasak, director general of the ministry’s Tourism Development and International Cooperation, at the International Travel Event Ho Chi Minh City 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Wednesday.
Ratanak attributed the significant increase to the kingdom’s full reopening of its borders to all travellers, tourism development strategies, and high COVID-19 vaccination rates.
All international travellers to Cambodia can receive a visa on arrival, and ASEAN travellers, they can get a free visa, he said.
Fully vaccinated tourists can enter by just showing their COVID-19 vaccination cards, while those, who are not vaccinated, just undergo a rapid antigen test upon their arrival, he said.
“These prove that Cambodia is a safe tourism destination, providing warmth, clean and green,” Ratanak said.
The ministry said earlier this year that Cambodia is expected to welcome at least a million foreign holidaymakers by the end of this year. The target was set after the government reopened its border to vaccinated tourists and the high rate of the vaccinated population.
The target by this year is not achieved, said Top Sopheak, Under-Secretary of State and spokesman at the Ministry of Tourism, citing the ministry would increase the target beyond a million.
The top international tourists to Cambodia in the past eight months are Thais, Vietnamese and Chinese, he said, citing that although neighbouring countries have similar tourism potential to Cambodia, those foreigners want to change their travel experience.
“For international tourists, most are from neighbouring countries because it is easy to travel, takes less time and does not cost a lot of money,” Sopheak said.
With an increase of one million international tourists in the first eight months, the Ministry of Tourism expects that international tourists will reach 1.5 million to 2 million by the end of 2022, he said.
The ministry also reported that some 850,000 domestic foreign tourists -expats made holidays inside the Kingdom during the period, a year-on-year 245 percent increase.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy.
In the pre-pandemic era, the Kingdom welcomed 6.6 million international tourists in 2019, generating 4.92 billion US dollars in revenue, according to the ministry.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501147796/nearly-1-million-foreign-tourists-visited-kingdom-in-jan-aug/