Cambodia’s tourism industry is making a strong comeback with the sector contributing significantly to the country’s economic growth.
According to a report released by the National Bank of Cambodia, the Kingdom welcomed approximately 3.1 million foreign tourists in the first half of this year, injecting an estimated $1.7 billion into the economy. This represents a 7 percent increase compared to $1,593 million recorded in the same period last year.
The NBC report further said that this suggests a significant increase compared to the previous year, indicating a robust rebound from the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The central bank attributed the positive performance to several factors, including increased international flight connectivity and the country’s growing popularity as a tourist destination.
“The tourism sector continues to see positive growth, with foreign tourist arrivals increasing to 3.1 million and domestic tourist movements reaching 9.7 million, supported by better economic growth in the region and the globe, infrastructure connectivity and growth of direct air flights to and from other countries,” read the report.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy.
Top Sopheak, Secretary of State and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Tourism, said that the figures clearly indicated that Cambodia’s tourism sector is on a recovery path even though it has not yet reached the level before the COVID-19 crisis.
“The Cambodian Government through the Ministry of Tourism is putting its efforts in working with relevant parties and the private sector to promote tourism potential to attract more foreign tourists to visit Cambodia,” Sopheak told Khmer Times.
Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), expressed optimism about the tourism sector.
“The numbers are very encouraging and reflect the hard work and resilience of the tourism industry,” she said.
“We are confident that with continued support from the government and the private sector, Cambodia’s tourism industry can attract a wider range of visitors,” she added.
Last year, the Kingdom received 5.45 million foreign visitors, earning a gross revenue of $3.08 billion, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
