CAMBODIA: Foreign visitors arriving by air up 21 pct in Q1

Cambodia’s two international airports received 702,070 international visitors in the first three months of this year, a 21 percent rise from the 569,770 passengers for the same period last year, according to data from the Cambodia Airports on Saturday.
Officials attributed the increase to broader tourism promotion, more direct flight connection with other countries, good security and political stability in Cambodia as well as recovery of the global economy.
During the January-March period this year, Phnom Penh’s International Airport greeted 274,820 international passengers, up 13 percent compared with the same period last year, while the Siem Reap International Airport received 427,250 international passengers, up 31 percent.
“The rise is thanks to our broader tourism promotion, Cambodia’ s full security and political stability and global economic recovery,” said Kong Sophearak, director of the Tourism Ministry’s statistics department.
He said visitors from South Korea, Vietnam and China are largely contributing to the growth in numbers.
The latest tourism report showed that Cambodia greeted 120,100 South Koreans in the first two months of this year, up 9 percent, making South Korea the largest tourist source for Cambodia. Vietnam came at second with 113,420 visitors, down 2 percent, and China stood at third with 95,440 visitors, up 53 percent.
In Cambodia, most tourists spend their time visiting the world heritage site Angkor Wat temple, which is situated in northwestern Siem Reap province, about 315 km from Phnom Penh, the capital.

Sourced: macaudailytimes