The Cambodian coastal province of Preah Sihanouk, which is home to the country’s main beach resort destination, Sihanoukville, experienced a sharp rise in visitor numbers last year.

The Phnom Penh Post reported the province’s tourism authorities as revealing that nearly 2.4 million tourists visited Preah Sihanouk in 2016, with overnight arrivals up 37% year-on-year.

International arrivals increased 12% year-on-year to 404,939, led by visitors from China, Russia and Vietnam, while domestic visitation soared 45% to 1.97m.

“Tourist arrivals keep rising because of our high standards of entertainment and beautiful beaches, although our tourism products are still limited,” May Nimol, the provincial deputy director of marketing & promotions told the newspaper.

“We are trying to cooperate with the relevant authorities to promote and improve the entertainment standards and attract greater numbers of tourists.”

He added that the province earned US$96 million in revenue from the tourism sector in 2016.