Tourists visit the Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Sao Khuth/Xinhua)
PHNOM PENH, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park attracted 472,258 international visitors in the first five months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 37 percent, said a report from the state-owned Angkor Enterprise on Saturday.
The ancient park made 22.2 million U.S. dollars in revenue from ticket sales during the January-May period this year, also up 38 percent year-on-year, the report added.
In May alone, the park welcomed 50,879 foreign tourists, generating a total revenue of 2.29 million dollars, up 11 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively compared to the same month last year, the report said.
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.
Ministry of Tourism's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Top Sopheak is confident that the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, which officially began commercial operations last November, would help attract more international travelers to the Angkor park.
"This international airport is playing a crucial role in helping boost the country's tourism, economy, trade, investment," he told Xinhua.
With a 3,600-meter-long runway, the 4E-level international airport is currently the kingdom's largest airport and is the main international gateway to the Angkor park.
Sopheak also believes that the China-Cambodia People-to-People Exchange Year 2024 will also lure more Chinese tourists to Cambodia, particularly to the Angkor.■
