Phnom Penh: The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Thong Khon expressed the expectation that during the upcoming Khmer New Year, hopes there will be more tourists to visit, despite the rising price of gasoline. He has this belief because hotel rooms, guesthouses in the major provinces of Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and the coastal areas so far have lots of bookings.

At a press conference on 30 March 2022, Mr. Thong Khon said: "On the occasion of the upcoming Khmer New Year, there will be more tourists to visit, although the price of gasoline will increase, people will save by changing their consumption behavior by travelling Group tours to reduce travel costs. In fact, as of today, there are many hotel reservations in Siem Reap, Mondulkiri, Sihanoukville and coastal areas.

The Minister hopes that the people will be happy and ready to visit during the upcoming Khmer New Year.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Tourism has advised on the preparation for receiving national and international tourists by arranging entertainment venues to be good, safe, clean, good quality of service and most importantly, how to prevent Fees for service and food.

Kong Sopheareak, director of the Tourism Statistics Management Department of the Ministry of Tourism, said that in the first quarter of 2022, a total of 151,680 international tourists, an increase of 114 percent compared to the first quarter of 2021. Of which, 86,588 were by air an increase of 158.2%, 63,048 by land an increase of 68.7% and 2,044 by water.

According to Kong Sopheareak, the total number of flights was 1,181, of which 1,012 were in Phnom Penh, 144 in Siem Reap and 55 in Sihanoukville.