Tourists visit Angkor Wat temple in January. Hong Menea
Angkor Archaeological Park netted more than $2.4 million from ticket sales in the first half of 2022, an increase of more than 1,000 per cent year-on-year, Angkor Enterprise reported.
According to a July 1 statement issued by Angkor Enterprise, the state-run institution that manages tickets sales for international visitors to the 400sq km UNESCO site, a total of 59,983 tickets – for all areas – were sold for $2,420,081 in January-June, both up more than 1,000 per cent year-on-year.
Of those, 1,066 tickets were purchased for the Koh Ker temple area at $15 each. According to the Angkor Enterprise website, the prices of one-day, three-day and seven-day tickets for the main section – which includes Angkor Wat – currently stand at $37, $62 and $72. Cambodians do not pay any of the entrance fees.
The number of visitors to the Angkor park and other attractions in Siem Reap province have jumped considerably since the government rolled back Covid-19 entry-exit rules.
APSARA National Authority (ANA) deputy director-general Long Kosal told The Post that although still below pre-Covid levels, the boost in travellers and tourism revenue to the province’s primary tourism zone were “good signs” following a more-than-two-year pandemic hiatus.
This, he remarked, also illustrates that the Angkor park still boasts the potential to draw in national and international visitors, which he hailed as welcome news for the Siem Reap tourism industry.
“The important thing is to instil confidence in those considering coming to visit, which is crucial in managing the development of the tourism sector. And confidence can be enhanced by providing safer, more enjoyable and unique entertainment, more efficient tour arrangements and transport of tourists from one place to another,” Kosal said.
He added that the ANA is preparing other amenities and options for things to do at the park, such as bike paths and boat trips at the North Baray (Jayatataka) reservoir, which has the small Buddhist temple Neak Pean, or “entwined Nagas”, in the middle.
Thourn Sinan, chairman of IMCT Co Ltd and Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter (PATACC), commented that tourism business activity in Siem Reap remains subdued, due to the still-limited number of international visitors to the province.
“Siem Reap was the worst affected by the Covid-19 crisis since it’s completely dependent on tourists. Nonetheless, we expect that the number of tourists visiting the province, especially the Angkor Archaeological Park will keep rising,” he said.
The Siem Reap provincial Department of Tourism reported that the province received a total of 1,027,779 visitors in the January-May period, marking a 744.87 per cent rise year-on-year from 121,649, of which 45,779 were international, up 859.92 per cent year-on-year from 4,769.
