PHNOM PENH, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The international tourist arrivals in Cambodia had increased 14 percent year-on-year in the first eleven months this year, showed the statistics of the Tourism Ministry on Friday.



From January to November this year, the country had welcomed 2. 58 million foreign visitors, up 14 percent from the same period last year, said the report.



Vietnam topped the chart among the top ten arrivals with 564, 532 tourists, up 20 percent, followed by South Korea with 304,922, up 17 percent, and Chinese tourists at third up 37 percent with 220,476.



During the period, Thai tourists to Cambodia declined by 26 percent to 101,118 due to the two countries' border clashes earlier this year.



The report said that 51 percent of the visitors travelled to the country by air, 46 percent by land and the rest by waterway.



The Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said Cambodia saw China as a big potential market for Cambodia's tourism and the country expected to attract at least 1 million Chinese tourists by 2020.



Tourism industry is one of the major four pillars supporting Cambodian economy. In 2010, the sector received a total of 2.5 million foreign tourists, generating a revenue of 1.75 billion U.S. dollars.