Cambodia's tourism makes 4.92 bln USD revenue last year

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's tourism earned a gross revenue of 4.92 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, a 13-percent increase compared to the year before, according to a Tourism Ministry report released on Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country attracted 6.61 million international tourists last year, up 6.6 percent from a year earlier, the report said.

China was the biggest source of tourists to the kingdom, followed by Vietnam and Thailand, it said, adding that some 2.36 million Chinese visited the kingdom last year, up 16.7 percent year-on-year.

"Tourism sector has contributed 12.1 percent to Cambodia's gross domestic product (GDP) last year," the report said.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced on Monday that the government decided to provide all kinds of tax breaks for all hotels and guesthouses in northwestern Siem Reap province for a period of four months from February to May.

He said the tax exemption was aimed at helping them overcome this difficult moment.

Tourism is one of the four sectors supporting the economy. The kingdom is famous for its Angkor Archeological Park, a world heritage site located in Siem Reap province.