PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's tourism earned gross revenue of 3.04 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, up 115 percent from 1.41 billion dollars in a year earlier, according to a Ministry of Tourisms report released on Monday.
The kingdom received 5.45 million international tourists last year, up 140 percent from 2.27 million in the year before, the report said.
"Averagely, a tourist stayed 7.6 days in Cambodia," the report said.
The Southeast Asian country launched the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year last month, hoping that the initiative would be a catalyst for increased tourism and investments.
"I'm strongly confident that the initiative will become a new driving force to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia," Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken said at the launching event held in the cultural province of Siem Reap.
China was the third largest source of foreign tourists to the kingdom in 2023, the report said, adding that the country welcomed 547,798 Chinese visitors last year, up 412 percent from only 106,875 in a year earlier.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy.
The country has four world heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province, the Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk in central Kampong Thom province, and the Temple of Preah Vihear and the Koh Ker archaeological site in northwest Preah Vihear province.
Besides, it has a pristine coastline stretching in the length of about 450 km in four southwest provinces of Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong. ■
