PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Tourism has made an announcement welcoming Chinese visitors and hopes that their return will spur tourism growth and socioeconomic development in Cambodia.

In a press release issued on Thursday, 5 January 2023, the Ministry of Tourism stated that Cambodia is delighted to welcome Chinese tourists to Cambodia once again, without any health restrictions. The release stressed that Cambodia is ready to receive Chinese tourists as well as other international tourists.

Since Cambodia announced the reopening of the country in 2022, the Royal Government has also lifted other health restrictions to facilitate travel.

"Cambodia is a warm (safe) tourist destination because Cambodia is a country that has been evaluated by the World Health Organization as a leading country in providing vaccines to people and has established good immunity within the community,” the Tourism Ministry stated. “It is also the first to reopen the country and socioeconomic activity in the region, adhering to the principle of ‘learning to live with Covid-19 in the new normal.’”

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019, about 155 million Chinese tourists traveled overseas, accounting for 10% of all tourists worldwide (1.5 billion), spending a total of nearly US $258 billion on tourism—roughly one-fifth of the US $1.3 trillion in global tourism expenditures.

In 2018, Cambodia received more than 2.3 million Chinese tourists, accounting for 35.7% of total international tourists (6.6 million), earning about US $1.8 billion from a total of US $5 billion in revenue.

Cambodia is expected to receive about 7 million international tourists in 2025, as planned in the roadmap for the recovery and promotion of tourism in Cambodia during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.