Cambodia records 48 pct rise in number of Chinese tourists to Angkor

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has reported a 48 percent increase in the number of Chinese tourists to the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park in 2024, an official report showed on Saturday.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the ancient site welcomed a total of 82,675 Chinese visitors last year, up 48 percent from 55,689 in the year before, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report.

The number accounted for 8 percent of the total 1.02 million international tourist arrivals to the park in 2024, the report added.

China ranked the third largest source of the foreign tourists to the Angkor complex after the United States and Britain, according to the report.

The 401-square-km Angkor complex, which currently stands as the most popular tourist attraction in the Southeast Asian country, is home to 91 ancient temples built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

Long Kosal, deputy director-general of and spokesperson for the APSARA National Authority, said the launches of the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport in November 2023 and the Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year 2024 had attributed to the growth of Chinese tourists to the Angkor park.