Cambodian Tourist Numbers up in 2024
The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) have reported that tourist numbers have jumped 125 percent in Q1 of 2022 compared with the same period last year. The jump has been spearheaded by visitors from other ASEAN countries as local neighbours begin to loosen travel restrictions.
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How many tourists visited in Q1?
According to ministry figures there were almost 160,000 visitors to the Kingdom during the first 3 months of 2022, There were 86,967 visitors through the three main international airports, which as previously reported have added a number of new routes, while 72,570 arrived either overland or via sea an increase of almost 100 percent. This has in no doubt been aided by the return of cruise ships to Cambodian shores, now a regular site in Sihanoukville again.
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Phnom Penh International Airport reported an increase of 176.5 percent, while Siem Reap International Airport saw an increase of 100 percent. The buck to this trend was Sihanouk Airport which received 72.5 percent less visitors than last year. This has been attributed to the previously huge number of Chinese visitors and investors to the coastal city. China has for all intents banned its citizens from traveling, as well as introducing lockdowns in a number of cities of late, which has resulted in unprecedented scenes of protest on social media.
Cambodian Tourist numbers are up – but who is coming?
Rather than the traditional influx of western visitors on the bamboo trail the recent boost has largely been led by regional visitors from Vietnam and Thailand. In Q1 there were a reported 46,303 Vietnamese arrivals, up a whopping 1,200 percent, while almost 40,000 Thai’s also arrived during the same period.
The US ranked third with 8,820 visitors,, with Indonesia coming fourth at 8,578. There were also significant arrivals from the EU and other countries that have since fully reopened to tourism. Many in the industry also expect numbers from both Australia and New Zealand to drastically increase now that both nations are now fully open to tourism.
The rise has been attributed to the successful rollout of vaccinations within the Kingdom, as well as its so far successful fully reopening to tourism. Cambodia was the first country within the region to reopen to vaccinated tourists with next to no preconditions.
How close are we to getting back to normal?
While recoding over 150,000 visitors brings much room for optimism the numbers still pale into comparison with Q1 of 2020 when Cambodia welcomed 1,155,226 guest just prior to the pandemic.
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This was a sentiment agreed by hotel owners, particularly in Siem Reap who despite being at 100 percent occupancy over Khmer New Year have generally reported booking levels of around 30 percent on average going into the rest of the year.
The other major question is as and when China reopens to tourism, with mainland tourists previously making up the bulk of travellers to the Kingdom. China will this year host the 20th congress of the Communist Party of China, with some suggesting any reopening of the country to both in, or outbound tourism will not happen until its conclusion.
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Author: Adam Reeves
An avid traveler and telecommunications expert, Adam has explored over 25 countries, immersing himself in their cultures to discover the best they offer. His passion for connecting people extends from his professional life to his adventures abroad.
