According to Xinhua News Agency, a report released by the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism on Thursday said that the number of Chinese tourists to Cambodia rose by 45.6 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2024.

A total of 463,980 Chinese visitors traveled to the Southeast Asian country during the January-July period, up 45.6 percent from 318,498 over the same period last year, the report said.

The Chinese tourist arrivals accounted for 12.4 percent of a total of 3.74 million international arrivals to Cambodia during the cited period, the report said, adding that China was the third largest source of international visitors after Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodian Ministry of Tourism's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Top Sopheak said the kingdom is keen to see more Chinese tourists as their visits have contributed to the country's economic growth and tourism development.

He is confident that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year, which was launched in January, would help attract more Chinese visitors to the country.

Yen Samnang, a research fellow at the Phnom Penh-based independent think tank Asian Vision Institute, said that with the help of the People-to-People Exchange Year, Cambodia is expected to further boost Chinese tourist arrivals and investment.

"It is believed that this initiative, along with other free trade pacts in place, will become a key driver of tourism promotion and economic cooperation, drawing not only tourists but also Chinese investors to the kingdom, leading to job creation and infrastructure development," he told Xinhua.

"Consequently, it will contribute to the long-term economic growth of Cambodia," he added.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment, footwear, and travel goods export, agriculture, and the construction and real estate sector.

The kingdom has four UNESCO-listed world heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park in the northwestern Siem Reap province, the Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk in the central Kampong Thom province, and the Temple of Preah Vihear and the Koh Ker archaeological site in the northwestern Preah Vihear province.

Besides, it has a pristine coastline stretching in the length of about 450 kilometers in the four southwestern provinces of Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong.