Angkor Enterprise has extended the period of validity for entry tickets to Angkor Archaeological Park in a move to revive tourism to the sprawling temple complex, it said in a March 10 press release.
One-day, three-day and five-day entrance tickets will give international tourists access to the complex in Siem Reap province for two days, five days and 10 days, respectively, said Angkor Enterprise, the state-run institution that manages tickets sales for international visitors to the mainstay of the Kingdom’s key tourism industry.
Moreover, the periods of use for one-month, three-month and six-month passes will be doubled, it added.
“The policy has been put into practice to facilitate and promote tourism services and to ensure that Angkor’s archaeological sites and the Kingdom overall retain their allure for tourists even amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” Angkor Enterprise said.
The offer will be available until December 31, it added.
According to the Angkor Enterprise website, the prices of one-day, three-day and seven-day tickets currently stand at $37, $62 and $72.
Its data show that 4,194 people bought tickets to the park in the first two months of this year, cratering 98.77 per cent year-on-year.
Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) president Chhay Sivlin noted that due to the current tourist-visa restrictions, the new move would only be attractive to foreigners that live in the country.
She noted that the number of foreigners living in Cambodia is relatively small, with many tightening their budgets and travel expenses during the pandemic.
“I hope that this policy will be able to attract more tourists after the situation of Covid-19 infections has improved,” Sivlin said.
Last year, a total of 400,889 people bought tickets to the park, taking an 81.82 per cent nosedive from 2019, netting Angkor Enterprise $18,654,828 in sales, plunging 81.17 per cent from 2019, its statistics show.
While official Ministry of Tourism statistics have yet to be published, minister Thong Khon estimates that Cambodia welcomed just 1.31 million international visitors last year, or down almost 80 per cent compared to the 6,610,592 who travelled to the Kingdom in 2019.
