Local and international sightseers visit Angkor Wat to catch a glimpse of the sunrise in June. - Apsara National Authority
PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network): Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park received 385,769 foreign visitors in the first half of this year, up 543 per cent from only 59,983 in the same period last year, said a press statement on Wednesday (July 5).
The ancient park earned US$17.87 million in revenue from ticket sales during the January-June period this year, up 638 per cent from $2.42 million in the same period last year, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's statement.
In June alone, the park greeted 41,012 foreigners, making $1.8 million in revenue from ticket sales, the statement added.
Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-sq-km Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Monday that Cambodia attracted 2.57 million international visitors in the first half of this year, a significant rise of 409 per cent from 506,762 over the same period last year.
"Based on our latest forecast, Cambodia will be able to receive up to 5 million foreign tourists in 2023, an expected increase of 120 per cent from 2.27 million in 2022," he said.
