PHNOM PENH: Cambodia recorded some 540,023 international visitors in January 2024, up 34 percent compared to the same period last year, a report of the Ministry of Tourism showed on Tuesday.

Thailand topped the chart among foreign arrivals to the Kingdom with 163,661, followed by Vietnam (85,700) and China (46,781), the source pointed out. Some 206,506 million tourists arrived in Cambodia via international airports, a year-on-year increase of 44.2 percent and the rest via land and waterways, it added.

At the same time, the report stated the rise of Cambodian outbound tourists by 8.1 percent to 155,983. Tourism is a major pillar supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment export, agriculture, and construction and real estate.

The Ministry of Tourism has predicted that the Kingdom would welcome 7 million international visitors by 2025, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level of 6.6 million in 2019.

Cambodia is well known for its world cultural heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province, the Preah Vihear Temple and Koh Ker Temple in Preah Vihear province, and the Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site in Kampong Thom province.

Besides, the Kingdom has a 450-kilometre-long pristine coastline stretching across four southwestern provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong.

Cambodia attracted some 5.43 million international tourists in 2023, a sharp increase of 139.5 percent from 2.27 million in 2022, earning US$3.08 billion, up 117 percent from the US$1.41 billion recorded in 2022.