Thai and Vietnamese tourists make up over half of foreign arrivals in Cambodia
Nearly two million Thai and Vietnamese tourists visited Cambodia in the first seven months of 2024, a rise of over 20% compared to the same period in 2023. This group represented more than half of all foreign arrivals.
From January to July, the country welcomed 3,742,230 foreign visitors, a 23.2% increase compared to 3,037,344 during the same period in 2023, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Thai and Vietnamese visitors made up 50.9% of the total, with 1,147,534 Thai tourists (up 11.6%) representing 30.7% of all foreign arrivals and 757,437 Vietnamese travellers (up 37.4%), accounting for 20.2%.
Chinese nationals followed with 463,980 visitors (12.4%), while Lao and American tourists accounted for 224,871 (6%) and 129,517 (3.5%) respectively. Other significant visitor numbers came from South Korea, Indonesia, France, the UK and Japan.
Khieu Thy, president of the Khmer Angkor Tourist Guides Association (KATGA), told The Post on September 20 that the number of Thai and Vietnamese tourists visiting the ancient temples in Siem Reap province is not as high as those from America or Europe.
He noted that many Thai and Vietnamese arrivals are likely business travellers or visitors to border casinos.
He added that the number of foreign visitors has steadily increased over the past two years after plummeting to nearly zero during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Foreign tourist numbers have risen, but they have not yet reached pre-2020 levels. Tourism figures are closely tied to the global economic and political situation,” he said.
According to state-run Angkor Enterprise, which manages ticket sales for foreign visitors to Angkor Archaeological Park, 584,375 foreigners purchased tickets to visit Angkor in the first seven months of 2024, generating $27.18 million in revenue – an increase of 33% in visitor numbers and 33.76% in revenue compared to the same period in 2023.
Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), previously stated that changes in record-keeping methods have led to a sharp rise in the number of tourists from neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam.
He explained that authorities now record all foreign entries into the country, even if visitors are merely crossing the border to gamble.
Despite this, Sinan welcomed the overall increase in foreign tourists.
In 2023, Cambodia welcomed 5.45 million foreign visitors, a 139.5% increase compared to 2022. Revenue from foreign tourism in 2023 amounted to approximately $3.04 billion, a 115% increase from $1.41 billion in 2022, according to the ministry.
Hin Pisei
The Phnom Penh Post
Asia News Network
