International and domestic tourists visit the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap province. Post Staff.
The Chinese ambassador to Cambodia has promised to further strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom and expressed his belief that the number of Chinese tourists visiting in 2025 will exceed the approximately 800,000 who travelled here in 2024.
Ambassador Wang Wenbin met with Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Asia Pacific Travel Association Cambodia chapter (PATA) in Cambodia, on January 9.
During the meeting, Wang reiterated that the Chinese embassy is committed to working with tourism organisations in Cambodia, including PATA, to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly in encouraging Chinese tourists to visit Cambodia in even greater numbers than in 2024.
“I am sure that the number will grow much bigger in the new year. We are willing to work with PATA and all other institutions to make tourism cooperation between our two countries even more fruitful,” he said.
Additionally, Wang promised to help promote the Kingdom’s tourism sector to Chinese tourists directly, with plans to highlight that Cambodia is a safe country with many attractive destinations, including cultural, historical, natural and developed tourist sites.
Official data from the Ministry of Tourism revealed that from January to November 2024, the total number of foreign visitors to Cambodia reached 6 million, a 22% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Chinese nationals ranked third among the top visitors, with a total of 769,775 arrivals, up 54.5% on the same period in 2023. The largest number of foreign visitors to Cambodia came from Thailand, with 1.91 million visitors, followed by Vietnam with 1.2 million.
PATA chair Sinan told The Post on January 10 that the meeting aimed to exchange views and understand each other more deeply, with a focus on strengthening and expanding tourism and cultural exchanges. He believed that Cambodia needs to implement new strategies to attract more Chinese tourists, as all countries around the world are competing for this valuable market.
“Chinese tourists are important for all countries because China has a large population. When many foreign guests visit, it will help raise the standard of living and contribute to the national economy,” he explained.
He also mentioned that during the meeting, the Chinese side expressed their desire for the Cambodian government to consider lifting the visa requirement for all Chinese citizens or, at least, for tourists travelling to Cambodia via tour companies, noting that many countries worldwide have already done this.
According to Sinan, besides Chinese tourists, the global tourism industry is also showing interest in Indian tourists. India and China are the two most populous nations on Earth.
Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel agents (CATA), shared her belief that the growth in air connections between Chinese cities and Cambodia, which began in late 2024, is a sign that Cambodia will welcome even more Chinese tourists in 2025.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese tourists were arriving in large numbers.
“If Cambodia can improve its environment to attract foreign tourists, especially from China, in similar numbers to those seen before 2020, it would be great. Reducing entry procedures and visa fees is a crucial aspect of increasing the attractiveness for foreign tourists,” she said.
