File photo of girls ferrying Korean tourists along the Tonle Sap river as they take photos of the surrounding mangrove forests. - LEE SANG-PIL/INCHEON ILBO
PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia's tourism earned gross revenue of US$1.41 billion in 2022, a 669 per cent rise compared to the year before, according to a Ministry of Tourism report released on Friday (March 10).
The South-East Asian country received 2.28 million international tourists last year, up 1,058 per cent from a year earlier, the report said.
"Tourism industry contributed 3.6 per cent to Cambodia's gross domestic product (GDP) last year," the report said.
Averagely, a tourist stayed two nights and three days in Cambodia, the report noted.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the kingdom is expected to attract 4 million international visitors in 2023.
"This year, we hope to attract between 800,000 and 1 million Chinese tourists," he said.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy. The country has three world heritage sites, namely the Angkor archeological park in northwest Siem Reap province, Preah Vihear Temple in northwest Preah Vihear province, and Sambor Prei Kuk archeological site in central Kampong Thom province.
Besides, it has a pristine coastline stretching in the length of 450km in four southwest provinces of Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong.
