Some of the 1,000 Chinese tourists who have arrived in Cambodia ahead of the ’Cambodia-China Tourism Year’ celebrations. Tourism ministry
A group of 1,000 Chinese tourists has arrived in Cambodia to participate in the official opening ceremony of the “Cambodia-China Tourism Year”, which will take place in Phnom Penh from May 23–25.
Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin took to the embassy’s social media on May 23 to welcome the new arrivals.
“The first group of the ‘China-Cambodia Year of Tourism’ tour group of one thousand people organised by the China Tourism Group has arrived in Cambodia. Welcome!” he wrote.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism also welcomed the new guests on the morning of May 23.
“This is the result of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation and the organisation of tourism packages between us and the China Tourism Group Corporation Limited (CTG), signed on December 6, 2024,” said the ministry, via social media.
“It is also the result of a working meeting between Minister of Tourism Huot Hak and Wang Haimin, chairman of the board of CTG, on December 21, 2024, during the minister’s working visit to the company’s headquarters in Hong Kong’s Special Administrative Region,” it added.
According to a May 19 announcement by the ministry, with the approval of the Royal Government of Cambodia, the ministry, in cooperation with the Chinese embassy in Cambodia and other relevant government institutions, is organising the official opening ceremony of the “Cambodia-China Tourism Year” on May 23.
“This event is a result of the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cambodia from April 17 to 18. Both heads of government agreed to designate 2025 as the ‘Cambodia-China Tourism Year’,” it explained.
According to the announcement, the event will feature joint Cambodian-Chinese cultural performances on the evening of May 23, at the Chaktomuk Conference Hall.
On May 24–25, more performances will be held for the public along the “Walking Street” on Phnom Penh’s riverside.
Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), told The Post that she believed events like this one bring many benefits to the tourism sector because each one is preceded by promotional efforts, which help raise awareness and attract more visitors to Cambodia.
“China has a large population and a growing economy, so the 'China-Cambodia Tourism Year' will certainly bring more visibility to Cambodia’s tourism possibilities in China,” she said.
“If Cambodia can attract more Chinese tourists, it would be excellent. Currently, Cambodia has sufficient capacity in terms of the environment, road infrastructure, tourist sites and tour guides to welcome additional tourists,” she added.
According to the tourism ministry Cambodia welcomed a total of 6.7 million international tourists in 2024, an increase of 22.9% over 2023. Among them, 848,952 were Chinese, representing a 55% increase.
In the first quarter of this year, the Kingdom received 1.8 million international tourists, up 16.1% compared to the same period in 2024. The figure included 286,156 Chinese tourists, a rise of 50.6%.
