Nearly half a million tourists travelled across the country during the first week of January, with Preah Sihanouk province becoming the top destination, the Ministry of Tourism said.

From January 2 to January 8, Cambodia received a total of 459,409 tourists, which included 415,793 Cambodians and 43,616 foreigners, said the Overseas Marketing and Promotion Department of the Ministry of Tourism.

According to the department, the most visited destinations were Preah Sihanouk Province (225,659 people), Siem Reap Province (47,070 people), Phnom Penh (41,646 people), Kampot Province (30,408 people), Kampong Cham province (16,213 people) and Battambang province (16,153 people).

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said on Wednesday that given the timeframe, the size of tourists is massive amid peak season in the country.

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She added that December and January are good tourist seasons, in which the country is not so hot and has little rain and tourists have chances to see sunsets and sunrises.

Businesses have gradually come back after months of shutdown due to Covid 19, Sivlin said, adding that more flights have also returned.

This is a sign of tourism recovery also, she said, adding that people have also become aware of Cambodia as the destination through media reports and events, such as exhibitions.

“As China is opening up and is ending quarantine, from today onward, we will begin to receive tourists little by little. There is a lot of interest for us among the Chinese market,” Sivlin told Kiripost.

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