Cambodia attracted 540,023 international tourists in January 2024, a significant increase of 34 percent from 402,943 in the same month of 2023, said a Ministry of Tourism's report released on Tuesday.

Thailand topped the chart among the international arrivals to the Southeast Asian country in January this year, followed by Vietnam and China, the report said.

Some 163,661 Thais, 85,700 Vietnamese, and 46,781 Chinese traveled to the country during the above-mentioned period, up 17 percent, 33 percent, and 87 percent, respectively, the report added.

Cambodia launched the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in January, hoping that the initiative would be a magnet for Chinese tourists to the country.

"I'm strongly confident that the initiative will become a new driving force to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia," Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken said at the launching event held at the famed Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy.

The country received 5.45 million foreign visitors in 2023, earning gross revenue of 3.08 billion U.S. dollars, which contributed 7.5 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Ministry of Tourism.

The kingdom has four world heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park, the Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk in central Kampong Thom province, and the Temple of Preah Vihear and the Koh Ker archaeological site in northwest Preah Vihear province.

Besides, it has a pristine coastline stretching in the length of about 450 km in four southwest provinces of Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong.