PHNOM PENH, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia saw a growing community of Chinese travellers in the first 10 months of 2025 despite a drop in overall international tourists, the country's Ministry of Tourism said on Thursday.

The Southeast Asian country attracted a total of 4.75 million international tourists during the January-October period, a year-on-year decrease of 11.6 percent, according to a report from the ministry.

About 1 million Chinese visited the country during the period, up 44.6 percent year on year, marking the second-largest tourist source country for Cambodia after Vietnam, the report said.

About 1.01 million Vietnamese traveled to Cambodia during the period, down 6.8 percent year on year, while 996,001 Thais came to the kingdom, down 42 percent.

Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy under the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the slump in international tourist arrivals reflected both regional economic slowdowns and intensified competition from neighboring destinations.

It also highlights the lingering challenges in air connectivity and destination diversification, he told Xinhua.

He said the recently opened Techo International Airport, which is Cambodia's biggest airport, will serve as a main gateway to the kingdom, offering greater flight capacity, modern facilities, and improved international connectivity.

Mengdavid added that the Cambodian government's new pilot visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, set to commence from June 15 to Oct. 15, 2026, is likely to be a catalyst for Cambodia's sustainable tourist growth.

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