Prime Minister Hun Manet welcomed the return of the MS Westerdam cruise liner to Cambodia on January 25, announcing that the vessel is carrying nearly 2,000 tourists from almost 50 nations.

“I offer my thanks to the MS Westerdam, which remembers Cambodia and often brings new guests to the Kingdom, where they can discover our many peaceful tourist destinations,” he said. 

“Cambodia may be a small nation, but it has a big heart,” he added.

In February 2020, the vessel was refused permission to dock by several countries in the region, due to fear of Covid-19.

Former Prime Minister Hun Sen welcomed the liner on Valentine’s Day 2020, even greeting the passengers personally with bouquets of roses. The gesture prompted global media to refer to the Kingdom as “a small country with a big heart”.

The liner last visited in December 2023, when it brought new guests to the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port.

According to the Ministry of Information, the vessel arrived at the same port at 7am on January 25, having departed from Thailand.

There are 1,873 foreign tourists of 43 nationalities on board, along with a crew of 776.

Among the newest guests to the Kingdom were 870 Americans, 288 Canadians and 191 Britons. Fifty-nine of the tourists were set to visit Siem Reap province, home of the world-renowned Angkor Wat Temple.

The MS Westerdam is scheduled to depart at 9.00pm on January 25, bound for Vietnam.