Foreign Tourists to Cambodia's Famed Angkor on Rise
People walk on the causeway leading to the main gate of the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Nov. 4, 2023. Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua
- By Xinhua News Agency
- November 20, 2023 7:05 PM
PHNOM PENH -- A total of 602,570 foreigners from 193 countries and regions toured Cambodia's famed Angkor Archeological Park in the first 10 months of this year, up 256 percent from 169,257 recorded over the same period last year.
During the January-October period this year, the top four largest sources of international visitors to the park were the United States, Britain, France, and China, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report on Monday.
Cambodian Ministry of Tourism's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Top Sopheak said that the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), which officially launched its commercial operations on Nov. 16, would attract more international tourists, especially from China, to the Angkor.
"This new international airport is crucial to helping boost the country's tourism, economy, trade, and investment," he said. "We hope it will attract new international airlines, so they will bring more tourists and investors to Siem Reap province, the home of the Angkor."
Located in northwest Cambodia, the 401-square-km Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country.
