With 5.17 million visitors, Cambodia recorded a 13.8% decrease compared to the same period last year. Vietnam topped the list of foreign tourists visiting Cambodia during the period from January to November this year, followed by China and Thailand, the report said.
Specifically, approximately 1.11 million Vietnamese and 1.01 million Thais visited Cambodia during the same period, representing decreases of 7.3% and 47% respectively.
However, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia has increased significantly to 1.1 million, a 43.5% increase, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting the Cambodian economy , alongside exports of garments, footwear and tourism goods, agriculture, construction and real estate.
Tourists visit the Bayon temple. PHOTO: AFP
However, conflicts with Thailand and concerns about online scams have severely impacted Cambodian tourism. In particular, the Angkor temple complex, Cambodia's main tourist attraction, has become deserted recently.
Tour guide Bun Ratana, who regularly accompanies tourists around the Angkor Wat temple complex to offer his services, said he has had virtually no work since the deadly clashes with Thailand broke out, despite it being peak season, and his income has dropped by 80%. The UNESCO World Heritage site, located in Siem Reap, just a two-hour drive from the Thai border, has been rocked by military fighting that has lasted more than two weeks and left dozens dead, according to AFP.
Tourism accounts for about one-tenth of Cambodia's GDP, with a record 6.7 million visitors last year. But ticket sales to Angkor have fallen by at least 17% year-on-year from June to November, according to Angkor Enterprise – a sharp drop following five days of clashes in July that left dozens dead. Unlike previous Decembers, a quiet atmosphere has enveloped the park, as domestic and international tourists have "disappeared," according to T-shirt vendor Run Kea. "I think they might be scared… I'm scared too," the 40-year-old woman said, adding that her income is only a fraction of what it normally is.
Furthermore, experts believe that fear persists, and this is exacerbated by widespread media reports and a blockbuster film about internet scam networks run by regional criminal groups. At online scam hotspots, primarily in Cambodia and Myanmar, thousands of voluntary and trafficked scammers defraud victims of billions of dollars annually through romance and investment schemes…
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-viet-nam-den-campuchia-dong-nhat-18525122911405075.htm
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