PHNOM PENH, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia received nearly 3.2 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2014, a 5- percent rise from 3.05 million over the same period last year, tourism minister Thong Khon said Friday.
Most of the visitors to Cambodia are from Vietnam, China, South Korea, Laos and Thailand.
The minister said the growth rate in the first nine months of this year was low if compared to the same period last year, which stood at 19 percent.
"There were some factors that had slowed down our tourism growth. Those included troubles in neighboring Thailand early this year and tourists' concern over Ebola," he said.
Thong Khon predicted that the Southeast Asian nation could receive about 4.5 million foreign tourists in the whole year of 2014.
Cambodia is famous for two cultural sites in the UNESCO's World Heritage List. One is the 12th century Angkor Wat Temple and the other is the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple.
Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting the economy. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the country received 4.2 million inbound tourists last year, generating about 2.5 billion U. S. dollars, which accounted for 16 percent to the GDP.
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