More than 1 million tourists visit Cambodia during Lunar New Year 2024

The Telegram channel of the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, said that the locality that welcomed the most tourists during the Lunar New Year 2024 was the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk (Southwest of the country) with nearly 300,000 visitors, followed by the two northwestern provinces of Siem Reap and Battambang, with more than 100,000 visitors visiting destinations in each locality.

According to Top Sopheak, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, tours at the resorts have been running smoothly, without any problems or incidents. “We have seen an improvement in the maintenance of order and hygiene at the resorts, thanks to the efforts of both service providers and visitors,” he said. He stressed that the improvement was due to the attention of local authorities, and noted the increasing trend of domestic tourism during festivals, whether national or international, especially when these occasions coincide with weekends.

Siem Reap, famous for its rich historical and cultural relics, has become an attractive destination for both domestic and international tourists in Cambodia during the Lunar New Year 2024. According to Director of the Siem Reap Provincial Tourism Department Ngov Sengkak, the locality, which is home to the Angkor Wat wonder, welcomed nearly 120,000 visitors during the recent Lunar New Year. Of these, nearly 100,000 were domestic tourists, an increase of nearly 11% compared to the number of 90,000 visitors last year. The number of international tourists reached nearly 20,000, an increase of nearly 17% compared to the level of more than 15,000 visitors last year.

Ho Vandy, advisor to the Cambodia Tourism Association (CATA), noted that a significant number of local people tend to travel during holidays and weekends, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic eased. He also noted that the number of tours booked by Chinese people to Cambodia during the Lunar New Year has increased significantly, estimated to be 20-30% higher this year than during the previous Lunar New Year. Most Chinese tourists book package tours from local travel agencies. According to Ho Vandy, this has forced travel agencies to develop new tourism services, taking into account quality and cost factors, to increase the attractiveness of Cambodia.

In addition to Siem Reap, Vietnamese tourists coming to Cambodia during the Lunar New Year 2024 often visit, relax and have fun in border localities, especially the southwestern coastal provinces of Cambodia such as Kep, Kampot and Preah Sihanouk, with many beautiful beaches on the mainland, as well as on the islands near the shore. These are also localities in the group of 10 provinces and cities with many tourists visiting and relaxing in Cambodia during the recent Lunar New Year 2024. Of which, Preah Sihanouk is the leading destination with 294,301 visitors, followed by Kep with 73,145 visitors and Kampot with 64,528 visitors.

According to a report by the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, the country's tourism industry achieved total revenue of more than $3 billion in 2023, up 115% from $1.41 billion a year earlier. The report said that in 2023, Cambodia welcomed 5.45 million international visitors, up 140% from 2.27 million visitors in 2022.

In 2024, Cambodia’s tourism sector is expected to continue its recovery, attracting a number of visitors equal to or exceeding the record number of 2019, the time before the COVID-19 outbreak. In 2019, Cambodia welcomed a record number of international visitors with more than 6.6 million arrivals, earning nearly 5 billion USD, equivalent to about 12% of the Southeast Asian country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy. The country has four World Heritage Sites recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), including: Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap Province, Sambor Prei Kuk Temple Complex in Kampong Thom Province, Preah Vihear Temple and Koh Ker Temple in Preah Vihear Province. In addition, Cambodia also has a coastline stretching about 450 km in four southwestern provinces of the country, including Kep, Kampot, Preah Sihanouk and Koh Kong.