On the second day of the April 14-16 Khmer New Year holiday, more than 1.5 million people visited various tourist attractions across the country, a threefold increase of 83 per cent over the first day, bringing the total to more than 2.4 million over the two-day period.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, April 15 saw 1,579,251 travellers, of whom 9,769 were foreigners residing in Cambodia.
Battambang province received the most visitors at 241,817, followed by Prey Veng at 155,304, Banteay Meanchey at 137,183, Kampong Cham at 123,870, Pursat at 120,714, Kampot at 108,442, Siem Reap at 107,014, Kampong Speu at 101,751, Kampong Chhnang at 91,070, and the capital at 66,533.
Tourism minister Thong Khon said the first two days saw a total of 2,442,148 travellers, noting that the flow of revellers is expected to continue beyond the holiday through the weekend.
“On the second day, there was a steady flow of visitors, though in certain areas we saw a drop in the number of visitors,” he said.
He added that people had visited various tourist destinations in the capital and provinces. And as some held Songkran and other entertaining events to welcome the New Year with traditional music and games played all around, others went all out to celebrate, with water trucks deployed and residents armed with water pistols and talcum powder ready to welcome visitors.
In addition to daytime activities, some destinations went on late into the night to attract more visitors, as were the cases of the vibrant Pub Street in Siem Reap town and the popular white sandy beaches in Sihanoukville, with both featuring concerts and exhibitions.
The ministry said that as in the first day, municipal and provincial authorities followed standard operating procedures (SOP) laid out by relevant institutions.
