SIEM REAP, Cambodia (Xinhua): Cambodia on Saturday held a three-day "Angkor Thanksgiving" event at the Angkor Archaeological Park here, featuring religious ceremonies, parades, and traditional performance arts.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet's wife Pich Chanmony and Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona attended the opening ceremony.
"The event is to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of Angkor's inscription on the UNESCO's World Heritage List on De. 14, 1992," Chanmony said in a speech at the ceremony with more than 2,000 participants.
"It is also to honor the kings and ancestors in all generations, who built temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park, which has provided great benefits to our country and people," she added.
Sackona said it was the fourth year that the South-East Asian country celebrated the event, which also aimed to inspire the new generation to contribute to safeguarding, preserving and developing national cultural properties.
The 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.
The kingdom's most popular tourist destination attracted 898,339 international tourists during the January-November period of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 28.3 percent, the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report said.
The site made almost US$42 million in revenue from ticket sales during the period, up 28.7 per cent, the report added. - Xinhua
