A Cambodian plan to attract 5 million tourists to the country in 2015 is hanging in the balance despite a rise in the first half of this year.
Cambodia received about 2.3 million visitors from January to July, a 4.6% increase from the same period last year, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Thursday.
Tourists from Vietnam, China and South Korea led other foreign travellers to the country.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said there were signs of a slow-down of tourists from South Korea and Russia, two other key groups.
"The reason for the slow-down of tourists from South Korea is the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in May, while economic problems are causing Russian tourist numbers to drop," Thong Khon was quoted as saying.
The minister said arrivals were slower than expected but there were hopes of reaching the projection by the end of this year.
Russians led the tourists from Europe to Cambodia in the first five months, the latest figures on the ministry's website. Tourists from Thailand ranked fourth after Vietnam, China, South Korea and Laos, according to the figures from the same period.
Cambodia set 5 million tourists as the target this year, an increase from 4.5 million last year.
Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, cast doubt on the target, saying that it could be missed as the number of tourists might not pick up for the rest of the year, the Phnom Penh Post reported.
Cambodia's ministry and Thailand's Tourism and Sports Ministry have joined hands to promote their tourism under the "Two Kingdoms-One Destination" campaign.