Chinese: the 2nd largest source of tourists to Cambodia

Cambodia has witnessed a 55 percent increase in Chinese tourists in the first six months of this year, according to a report by the country's Ministry of Tourism on Monday.

Around 231,000 Chinese have visited the country during the first six months of 2013 compared to the 149,000 that had visited over the same period in 2012

China surpassed South Korea to become the second largest source of tourists to Cambodia , according to data from the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism released Thursday . The report showed that Vietnam has remained head of the table in the top ten sources of tourist arrivals in Cambodia, with 584,800 arrivals during the period January- August this year, an annual increase of 12%. 210 000 chinese tourists

China surpassed South Korea to become the second source of tourist arrivals to Cambodia with 305,500 visitors, up 47 %, while South Korea occupies the third place with 296,500 arrivals , up 3% . The report said that during the first eight months of this year , Cambodia has received a total of 2.77 million foreign tourists, an increase of 19 % compared to the same period last year. Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon attributed the sharp rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the country attractive tourist sites such as Angkor Wat , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , and the beautiful coastline , one of the most beautiful bays world . " The Chinese are rich now , more and more Chinese go abroad every year," he told Xinhua on Thursday . " The close ties between Cambodia and China is an essential basis to attract more Chinese in Cambodia ." The minister said that the country aims to attract 1.5 million to 2 million Chinese tourists in 2020. Sem Phalla , general secretary of the Association of Travel Agents in Cambodia ( CATA ), which represents about 220 travel companies , said that China is a huge market for Cambodian tourism. " Excellent relations between the two countries and improving the quality of tourism services in Cambodia and encourage more Chinese to visit that country in Southeast Asia in the years to come," he said.
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