PREAH SIHANOUK: The Preah Sihanouk (Sihanoukville) administration has stated that it is ready to welcome Chinese tourists to Cambodia after the government of China reopened the country's borders.
Preah Sihanouk Governor, Kouch Chamroeun, said at the 43rd Meeting of the 3rd Mandate of the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Council on 5 January 2023, that Cambodia, especially Preah Sihanouk Province, is an important investment destination for the Chinese.
He told the provincial authorities and police to prepare to ensure security for all people, investors, and tourists in Preah Sihanouk.
The Ministry of Tourism will launch a campaign titled "Cambodia-China Good Friends" to receive Chinese tourists in 2023 without any restrictions or quarantines.
The Ministry has urged all relevant organizations to continue promoting tourism, culture, sports, and other tourism-related activities in both China and Cambodia, as well as to improve hospitality and services for Chinese tourists.
With the return of Chinese investment and tourists to Cambodia, the Kingdom is expected to receive about seven million international tourists in 2025, as planned in the Roadmap for Recovery of Cambodia Tourism During and After Covid-19.
Prior to the 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 2019, 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. In the same year, Cambodia also had Chinese investors in tourism-related sectors account for more than 50% of the country's total foreign direct investment (FDI).
From 2020 to 2022, the Chinese tourism market changed and declined rapidly at all tourist destinations in the world, due to the strict implementation of China's travel restrictions.
