Reinhard Hohler, Chiang Mai
According to media sources in Phnom Penh, international tourist arrivals in Cambodia has increased 14 percent year-on-year in the first eleven months this year, the statistics of the Ministry of Tourism revealed .

From January to November this year, the country has welcomed 2. 58 million foreign visitors, up 14 percent from the same period last year, the report mentioned.
Viet Nam topped the chart among the top ten arrivals with 564,532 tourists, up 20 percent, followed by South Korea with 304,922, up 17 percent, and Chinese tourists at third up 37 percent with 220,476.
During the same period, Thai tourists to Cambodia declined by 26 percent to 101,118 due to the two countries’ border clashes earlier this year.

Furthermore, the report mentioned that 51 percent of the visitors travelled to the country by air, 46 percent by land and the rest by waterway.
The Minister of Tourism Dr Thong Khon said Cambodia sees China as the big potential market for Cambodia’s tourism and the country expected to attract at least 1 million Chinese tourists by 2020.

The tourism industry is one of the major four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy. In 2010, the sector received a total of 2.5 million foreign tourists, generating a revenue of 1.75 billion US dollars.