Foreign tourists interact with one of the locals at Siem Reap province’s Angkor Archaeological Park in early January. - Photo: The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
PHNOM PENH: As the 2025 Chinese New Year celebrations got underway, Siem Reap tour guides reported an increase in the number of visitors to the Kingdom’s iconic Angkor Archaeological Park, home of the world-renowned Angkor Wat Temple.
Cambodia is expecting an increase in international flight arrivals, which are expected to attract more foreign guests in 2025 than were welcomed last year.
The New Year celebrations run from January 29-31, and many tourists of various nationalities have taken the opportunity to visit Siem Reap.
Khieu Thy, president of the Khmer Angkor Tour Guide Association (KATGA), told The Post that during the 2025 Chinese New Year, his tours were fully booked.
“I have had solid bookings from November to February. With tour parties booked almost every day, I consider this a ‘high season’. As I am an English-speaking tour guide, my clients are mostly from the US, Europe and Australia,” he said.
“Recently, we've noticed a surge in tourists from Europe and America, which has made it quite busy for other English-speaking tour guides,” he added.
Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), also noted that the number of foreign tourists visiting Cambodia during this period (Chinese New Year) appeared noticeably high.
She also suggested that an increase in the number of flights, especially to Siem Reap, will help Cambodia see further growth in tourism and boost the economy.
“I am optimistic that in 2025, Cambodia will see even more foreign tourists and investors. Siem Reap will experience a growth in international tourism as international airlines have continuously expanded their flight connections to Siem Reap International Airport,” she added.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia welcomed a total of 6.7 million foreign tourists in 2024, an increase of 22.9% compared to 2023 and a 1.4% increase over to 2019.
The most frequent visitors to Cambodia were from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Laos and the US. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
