Cambodia to open new visiting circuit

Breathtaking: The Neak Pean temple is located at a reservoir near the main Angkor Wat complex. — AFP

APSARA National Authority (ANA) is introducing a new visiting circuit at Neak Pean (the entwined serpents) temple, one of the famed temples in the complex of the Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province, said an ANA’s news release.

Built in the second half of the 12th century, Neak Pean is a small temple that stands on an artificial island in the middle of the North Baray (reservoir).

“The new visiting circuit at Neak Pean temple is designed to enhance the value of the temple as a work of King Jayavarman VII, located in the middle of North Baray, and to provide visitors with a safe, comfortable and new visiting experience,” Seng Sotheara, deputy director of the Angkor Tourism Development Department, said.

The new visiting circuit will be divided into three categories, including visiting inside and outside the temple, as well as a boat tour, he said.

Touring in the temple, tourists can visit all four corners of the temple in the shape of a cross, and capture the temple’s beautiful pictures, Sotheara said.

He added that sightseeing outside the temple, they can explore the structure of the island with the temple in the centre, as well as natural scenery and animals that are present there.

For a boat tour, it will help improve the livelihood of the people in the Angkor park, he said, adding that at this point, the eastern and western ports of Neak Pean will be reopened, and tourists can begin their visit by boat.

The 401sq km Angkor Archaeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 1992, is the kingdom’s most popular tourist destination.

During the pre-Covid-19 era, the site received up to 2.2 million international tourists in 2019, earning a gross revenue of US$99mil (RM414mil) from ticket sales.

But during the pandemic, the site received only 12,873 foreigners in 2021, down by 96.8% year-on-year, the Angkor Enterprise said, adding that it earned US$528,121 (RM2.209mil) from ticket sales last year, also down 97%.

Cambodia has reopened for fully vaccinated tourists without quarantine since mid-November last year. — Xinhua