Dr. Hong Vannak, an economist at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, has stated that tourists visiting the Water Festival last week made significant contributions to economic activity
He added that this spending is not only for the three days of the Water Festival, but people, especially people from the provinces, have been staying in Phnom Penh for a week before spending money on accommodation, food and souvenirs.
Dr Hong noted that if the average national and international tourists spend $ 25 per day, the cash flow in economic activities during the three days of the Water Festival is about 600 to 700 million dollars, which shows that the economy is starting to grow gradually.
Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, noted that during these three days, an average tourist spends about $ 40, which brings in a lot of revenue to the economy.
These costs have greatly benefited the air, land and sea transport service providers, local transportation by tricycle, cruises, accommodation services such as hotels, guesthouses, catering services and restaurants, street food, resorts, entertainment centers, clubs, massage parlors, spas, karaoke, as well as music and dance classes, as well as the sale of offerings such as incense, candles and flowers.
Khieu Thy, president of the Angkor Tourist Guides Association, said that a foreign tourist usually spends about $ 40 a day on food, transportation from one location to another, and the purchase of souvenirs.
From plane tickets, visas, tickets to temples and hotels, the spending of these tourists has greatly helped small businesses and also provided employment to tour guides, who can earn around $ 30 a day.
He also said that in November 2024, the growth of tourists has increased significantly, while this year’s Water Festival is well organized, which makes the tour guide work on average from 18 to 25 days per month.
According to the report of the Ministry of Tourism, on the occasion of the Royal Water Festival for 3 days from November 14 to 16, 2024, there were a total of 7,844,388 domestic and international tourists who visited the country, including 7,755,092 national tourists, an increase of 21.4% and 89,296 foreign tourists, an increase of 28.7% compared to the same period in 2023.
Phnom Penh received the most tourists with more than 6 million and Siem Reap received more than 300,000 tourists.
