PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia has seen a 55 percent increase in the number of Chinese tourists in 2024, said a Cambodian Ministry of Tourism's report released on Friday.

A total of 848,952 Chinese visitors traveled to the Southeast Asian country last year, up 55 percent from 547,798 in the year before, the report said.

The number of Chinese tourists accounted for 12.7 percent of the total 6.7 million international tourist arrivals to Cambodia last year, the report said, adding that China was the third-biggest source of foreign holidaymakers to the kingdom after Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodia's Tourism Minister Huot Hak said the growth of Chinese tourists was an important opportunity, not only to boost the development of the tourism industry, but also to create investment opportunities in other sectors.

"The future of Cambodia's tourism industry is inseparable from the inflows of Chinese tourists and investors," he said.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter, said that the number of Chinese tourists to the kingdom would continue to rise this year.

"Looking ahead to 2025, I believe that with collaborative efforts between the government, the private sector, and the Chinese embassy in Cambodia, we can anticipate a gradual increase in Chinese tourist arrivals," he told Xinhua.

"This partnership will be essential in rekindling interest and encouraging more visitors to our beautiful country," he added.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate.