Cambodia attracts 1.76 mln int'l visitors in first 6 months, up 27%

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had received 1.76 million foreign tourists in the first six months of this year, a 27 percent rise compared with the same period last year, showed a report released by the Ministry of Tourism on Monday.

Some 1.06 million foreign tourists, or 60 percent of the tourists, had visited the world heritage site, Angkor archeological park, in Siem Reap province located about 315 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

During the January-June period this year, Vietnam topped the chart among the top ten arrivals to Cambodia with 378,130 tourists, up 30 percent, followed by South Korea with 227,200, up 32 percent, and Chinese visitors at third with 151,890, up 33 percent.

Thai visitors to Cambodia had increased by 91 percent to 91,860, making Thailand the fifth largest arrival groups to Cambodia.

The sharp rise in Thai tourists here is thanks to the improving relations between the two neighbors after the military tension over border disputed areas has eased since last July.

The report said about 48 percent of the visitors arrived in Cambodia by air, 49 percent by land and the rest by water ways.

Tourism industry is one of the major four pillars supporting the economy of this Southeast Asian nation. Last year, the sector received 2.88 million foreign tourists, generating the total revenue of 1.91 billion U.S. dollars.