Cambodia’s seaside province of Sihanoukville enjoyed a growth in tourism figures in the first five months of 2012, an increase attributed to improved flight connections to the province.
Sihanoukville recorded a 50 percent year-on-year increase in the number of foreign tourists, figures from the ministry showed.
Domestic tourists to the province rose around 22 percent during the period.
Regular flights between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, which started in late 2011, have helped pull visitors from the Kingdom’s top tourist destination to the coast, said Hun Chhoeun, director of the international airport of Sihanoukville.
Angkor Air is currently the only operator to land at the Sihanoukville International Airport, but other operators are planning to launch services in the province, said Hun Chhoeun. Angkor Air now runs three flights to Sihanoukville each week.
Cambodia has drawn more European tourists after it was inducted into The World’s Most Beautiful Bay Club in 2011, said Seng Kha, director of Sihanoukville’s provincial tourism department.
