The Southeast Asian country expects a 3-4-fold increase in the number of Indian tourists in the current year (2024), an official of Cambodia 's tourism ministry said. He said the strong growth in India's tourism sector offers immense potential for Cambodia. "We have launched the Cambodia-India Tourism Year for the first time this year to tap the Indian market as tourism in the country is growing rapidly," Cambodia's Tourism Minister Hul Seila told PTI over the phone on the sidelines of the 'Business, Leisure, Travel and MICE Tourism Exhibition 2024' (BLTM).

3-4 times more tourists will come

He further said, "We are seeing positive momentum and expect a lot more tourists from India. We expect probably a 3-4 times increase from the current number." In 2023, Cambodia hosted 68,836 Indian travellers. He said this figure was about 91 per cent of the pre-COVID (2019) level. In 2019, Cambodia received 75,286 tourists from India. He said this year, the number of tourists from India visiting Cambodia in the first six months (January-June 2024) was around 32,000-33,000, up by about 17 per cent compared to the same time period a year ago.

Cambodia's tourism capacity will increase

He said participation in the event will enhance Cambodia's tourism potential. "We are working closely with influencers to promote tourism in India to showcase what Cambodia has to offer as a preferred tourist destination," he added.