Over 710,000 domestic and foreign tourists attended the 9th Sea Festival, which was held in Preah Sihanouk province from December 9–11 and conducted under the theme "Bays of Peace, Bays of Hope," according to a report by the local tourism department. This event seeks to raise awareness of the four provinces' tourist potential as well as the need to protect and preserve the natural and cultural riches of the coastal regions of the kingdom. According to department head Taing Socheat Kresna, despite the fact that there weren't many foreign visitors this time, Sihanoukville is expected to see an increase in foreign travelers, as well as international flights and cruise ships. Approximately 1.576 million international tourists visited the kingdom in the first 10 months of this year, a rise of 991.13 percent year over year but a decline of 70.24 percent when compared to the same time in the record-breaking year of 2019.

Reference: Hin, P. (2022, December 12). Preah Sihanouk books 710K visitors over three-day festival. Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved from https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/preah-sihanouk-books-710k-visitors-over-three-day-festival