Millions of Cambodians Travel for Khmer New Year

Cambodians love to travel inside their country to celebrate the Khmer New Year. Latest figures show that there has been a 67 per cent increase in local citizens travelling.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, 4.6 million locals travelled inside Cambodia during the three-day holiday, while 83,000 foreigners visited the country during the same period - a 98 per cent increase. Battambang province recorded 870,034 visitors - the most popular destination, followed by Svay Rieng with 467,505 tourists and Siem Reap with 386,661 visitors. The report also shows that the number of tourists to the coast did not increase during the holiday.

Thong Khon, the Tourism Minister said the increase in travellers during the popular holiday was the result of Cambodians enjoying higher incomes. "Tourists enjoyed the many Sangkranta events that were held throughout the country. These events helped increase the number of tourists this year."

Khmer New Year is one of the longest holidays in Cambodian calendar, which falls on April 14 - 16.