Vietnamese tourist companies joined foreign partners at the third Sea Festival held in Cambodia on December 12-14.

The festival took place in the coastal city of Koh Kong, about 250km southwest of the capital Phnom Penh, with the aim of developing the local marine tourism

Tens of thousands of visitors were drawn to the event which covered a food expo, a trade fair, a workshop on climate change, art performances, and sports events.

The first Sea Festival was held in the port city of Sihanoukville in 2011 and the second in Kep city last year.

The three cities are home to beaches listed among the most beautiful coasts in the world.

Tourism is one of the economic spearheads of Cambodia with the stable growth of 15-20 percent, making great contributions to the domestic gross production.

In January-October, Cambodia welcomed 3.6 million foreign tourists, a year-on-year rise of 6 percent. Vietnam topped the list with about 630,000 arrivals.

Last year, the country greeted 4.2 million overseas visitors and earned 2.6 billion USD in revenue.-VNA