Phnom Penh, Jun 21 (IANS): The number of international tourists to Cambodia is predicted to surpass the pre-Covid pandemic level in 2025, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a bi-annual conference of the Ministry of Tourism in Phnom Penh, Khon said the kingdom received some 2.16 million foreign visitors during the first five months of 2023, a year-on-year increase of 530 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Based on this figure, we hope to receive up to 4.6 million international tourists in 2023 and 7 million in 2025 or 2026," he said.

In the pre-pandemic era, the Southeast Asian country recorded 6.6 million international tourists in 2019, generating $4.92 billion in revenue.

"The recovery of the tourism sector has importantly contributed to our country's post-pandemic economic growth, which is forecast at 5.6 per cent this year," he added.

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