The Visit Siem Reap 2024 campaign was inaugurated in Cambodia’s northwestern province today, with a principal objective of attracting larger number of foreign and domestic tourists to the Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO-listed site.
Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, speaking at the launch event attended by a large number of participants, announced that the objective of the campaign was to rejuvenate the tourism sector in Siem Reap province after the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that the Visit Siem Reap 2024 campaign, combined with the 2024 Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year and the Cambodia-India tourism year, will significantly enhance the tourism industry in Siem Reap province and attract a greater number of foreign tourists to Cambodia.
Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), which commenced commercial operations in November last year, is increasingly attracting international tourists to visit both the Angkor park and Cambodia as a whole, according to the Prime Minister.
He also urged tourism officials, local authorities, and tour agents to arrange a range of tourism activities in order to back the campaign.
The implementation of the Visit Siem Reap 2024 initiative, as stated by Tourism Minister Sok Soken, aims to invigorate the Siem Reap province’s tourism sector by generating fresh impetus and drawing a larger influx of international visitors, with a special focus on enhancing the appeal of the Angkor park. Minister Sok Soken emphasized that this campaign stands as a pivotal action in revitalizing Siem Reap’s tourism industry.
In 1992, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Angkor Archaeological Park, spanning an area of 401 square kilometers, to its World Heritage List. Siem Reap is the place where this renowned park is located.
Angkor park, the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country, is home to 91 ancient temples built over a time span from the 9th to the 13th centuries. The ancient site received nearly 800,000 international visitors in 2023, earning US$37.1 million in revenue from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise. However, the figures were compared to 2.2 million foreign tourists the park received in the pre-pandemic era in 2019, with a gross revenue of US$99 million from ticket sales.
SOURCE: New Visit Siem Reap Campaign Wants More Tourists for Angkor BY: eTurboNews | eTN