Foreign arrivals increase 10% during first nine months

The number of foreign tourists visiting Cambodia rose by 10 percent during the first nine months of the year, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Tourism, as the Chinese continue to top the list of tourist arrivals. According to the report, 4.8 million foreign holidaymakers visited the Kingdom from January to September. More than 3 million of these tourists arrived through one of Cambodia’s three international airports, the report notes. The international airport in Phnom Penh handled 1.5 million passengers (a 12.7 percent growth), Siem Reap’s welcomed 1.2 million (10.9 percent growth), and 549,481 passed through Sihanoukville’s (a 308 percent increase). Top Sopheak, Ministry of Tourism spokesman, said that China continues to be the most important market for the local tourism sector due to the availability of direct flights to dozens of destinations in China. (Source: Khmer Times)