• Society

Angkor Tourism on the Rebound 

• By Isa Rohany
• November 29, 2023 4:05 PM

Siem Reap – Tourism in Siem Reap is showing signs of recovery with the official ticket seller for the Angkor Archaeological Park predicting that the province could get 800,000 visitors by the end of the year.

Ly Se, director-general of Angkor Enterprise, says visitor numbers increased rapidly in the busier vacation tourism season since October. Numbers had rebounded to about 40% of the 2019 figure before the COVID-19 crisis.

At the same time, the average number of tourists who bought tickets to Angkor in November was higher than in October, with more than 3,000 daily, while in October it had been 1,000 to 2,000. 

“European and American tourists make up the largest number, from 65 to 70 percent,” he said. “If it continues well, Siem Reap will receive around 800,000 tourists by the end of 2023 and the income will be about $37 million.”

He said 42 percent of visitors bought 3-day and 7-day passes with 58% getting one-day tickets. This meant visitors staying in Siem Reap for at least four or five days. The number of visitors who spent a long time in Siem Reap had also increased. ​  

He said that US ranks first among international visitors with the second being England. France was third, followed by Korea and Japan. 

Chinese tourists, who used to top the list before COVID-19, were only six percent of the total. This was because the unstable economic situation in China meant that people travelled less often.

Besides buying tickets directly at the Angkor Enterprise, tourists are also able to buy tickets digitally. Nowadays, about 15 percent of tourists make digital purchases and Angkor Enterprise is working to strengthen the system to promote the purchase of tickets or long-distance tickets, which saves tourists time.

 

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Chhuon Kongieng for Cambodianess.