PHNOM PENH, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of international visitors to Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park rose 41 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2024, said a report from the state-owned Angkor Enterprise on Friday.
The ancient park recorded 421,379 foreign tourists during the January-April period this year, up 41 percent from 298,998 over the same period last year, the report said.
The park made 19.9 million U.S. dollars in revenue from ticket sales, also up 42 percent from 14 million dollars over the same period last year, the report added.
China was the fifth largest source of international tourist arrivals to the Angkor park after the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and South Korea, the report said.
It added that some 28,172 Chinese holidaymakers sightsaw the park, up 53 percent from 18,437, it added.
Situated in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the 9th to the 13th centuries.
The 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.
Cambodia has launched the "Visit Siem Reap 2024" campaign, the 2024 Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year and the Cambodia-India tourism year, aiming at revitalizing the tourism industry.
"These initiatives will give a boost to the tourism sector, attracting more foreign tourists to Cambodia in general and to the Angkor Archaeological Park in particular," Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a speech during the launch of the "Visit Siem Reap 2024" campaign in March.
He said the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, which was put into official use last November, is becoming a potential magnet for international tourists to the Angkor.
With a 3,600-meter-long runway, the 4E-level international airport is currently the kingdom's largest airport and also the main international gateway to the Angkor. ■
