PHNOM PENH, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park welcomed a total of 955,131 international visitors in 2025, a year-on-year decrease of 6.7 percent, the site's operator said on Thursday.
The UNESCO-listed world heritage site earned 44.7 million U.S. dollars in revenue from ticket sales last year, also down 6.5 percent, said the press release from the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.
Main sources of foreign tourists to the park were the United States, Britain, France, China and South Korea.
In December 2025, the park received 87,936 foreign tourists, generating 4.23 million U.S. dollars, down 30 percent and 28.5 percent, respectively, compared to the same month in 2024, the press release said.
Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the park is home to 91 ancient temples, which were built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.
Thong Mengdavid, deputy director at the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science (CamTech) in Phnom Penh, said the Cambodian government's new pilot visa-free policy for Chinese citizens, from June 15 to Oct. 15, 2026, is likely to be a long-term catalyst for Cambodia's tourism growth, lowering travel barriers and encouraging more first-time and repeat visitors.
"If Cambodia pairs this policy with targeted promotions, smoother digital services, and stronger tourism infrastructure, Chinese arrivals to the Angkor Archaeological Park could surpass pre-pandemic momentum in the coming years and reinforce the site's position as one of Asia's most iconic cultural destinations," he told Xinhua. ■