PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia's famed Angkor Archaeological Park welcomed 63,545 Chinese visitors during the first 10 months of 2024, up 40.5 per cent from 45,214 over the same period last year, said an official report on Saturday.
The number accounted for 8.2 percent of the total 774,203 international tourist arrivals to the ancient park during the January-October period this year, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report.
China was the fifth-biggest source of foreigners to the Angkor complex after the United States, Britain, France, and South Korea, according to the report.
Located in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country.
The 401-square-km site is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.
Long Kosal, deputy director-general 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 have attributed to the rise of Chinese tourist arrivals to the park.
He said China is one of the key contributors to safeguarding and developing the Angkor.
"As for the Angkor, we had two important temples, the Chau Say Tevoda and the Ta Keo, restored by the Chinese expert team, and another restoration project on the ancient Royal Palace of Angkor Thom has been underway," he told Xinhua.
"China's contribution to restoring those ancient temples has not only ensured the protection of the Angkor monuments, but also helped attract more and more Chinese tourists to the site," Kosal added.
The APSARA National Authority is the government agency responsible for managing, safeguarding and preserving the Angkor Archaeological Park. - Xinhua
