Tourist Arrivals Rise to 2.5M in First 11 Months

Tourist arrivals to Cambodia increased by 14 percent to 2.5 million during the first 11 months of 2011 compared to the same period last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism obtained yesterday. The data show that arrivals by air went up by 51 percent during this period, while visitors arriving by land or boat had increased by 49 percent. Kong Sopheareak, director of the Tourism Ministry’s statistics department, said the country will definitely achieve its goal of seeing 2.8 million visitors by the end of the year, especially since Cambodia Angkor Air began regularly scheduled flights between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap earlier this month. “The increase of flight connecting Siem Reap and Sihanoukville will prolong the stay of international tourists,” said Mr. Sopheareak, adding that the government aims to get 3.1 million international tourists in 2012.