SIEM REAP: Cambodia is seeking to turn the filming of the BAFTA-winning Race Across the World series at Ta Prohm temple into a showcase for its emerging film-tourism strategy, more than two decades after Lara Croft: Tomb Raider demonstrated the power of international productions to put the Kingdom’s ancient temples before global audiences.
Minister of Tourism Huot Hak visited the set of Race Across the World at Ta Prohm in Siem Reap province on August 20, shortly after attending the closing ceremony of a national workshop on promoting film tourism in Cambodia.
According to the tourism ministry, 42 production staff and participants, headed by programme team head Javier Llanos Sanchez, are involved in the production in Cambodia.
The ministry said Cambodia’s selection as one of the destinations in the international adventure programme provides an opportunity to showcase the country’s cultural heritage, tourist attractions and hospitality to overseas audiences.
“The selection of Cambodia as one of the race destinations for Race Across the World presents a valuable opportunity to showcase Cambodia’s beauty, rich heritage and culture, as well as the warmth and hospitality of the Cambodian people, to audiences around the world,” the ministry said.
Tourism minister Hout Hak visited the set to congratulate the production team and cast. Tourism ministry
Hak said the choice of Ta Prohm was particularly significant because the temple combines ancient architecture, cultural heritage and its distinctive natural surroundings, potentially strengthening Cambodia’s image as both an international tourism destination and a location for foreign film and television productions.
The production comes as the government steps up efforts to develop film tourism, using film, television programmes and other international screen productions to expose Cambodian destinations to overseas audiences and encourage viewers to visit locations they have seen on screen.
The government has developed incentives to attract international filmmakers.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has previously proposed special packages for productions filming at selected destinations, including locations within Angkor Archaeological Park, as part of efforts to reduce costs and make Cambodia more competitive as a filming destination.
Manet has also urged the tourism and culture ministries and provincial authorities to identify suitable locations, ranging from temples to islands and other scenic areas, and improve security and efficiency for film crews.
Cambodia already has a prominent example of how cinema can influence a destination's international profile.
In 2000, parts of the Hollywood production Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie as adventurer Lara Croft, were filmed at Angkor, including Ta Prohm.
Released in 2001, it was the first major Hollywood production to film in Cambodia since Lord Jim in 1964, according to local production company Hanuman Films, which provided production services for the movie.
The production used several Cambodian locations, including Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, the East Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon and Phnom Kulen.
Ta Prohm, with its enormous tree roots intertwined with ancient stone structures, became particularly associated with the movie.
The ministry noted that it has subsequently become one of the Angkor park’s most recognisable attractions.
The film’s legacy continues to feature in Cambodia’s tourism promotion.
In 2024, Manet cited Tomb Raider while discussing plans for film-tourism packages, noting accounts from Siem Reap tour guides that international visitors had learned about Cambodia through the movie.
The experience sets a precedent for what tourism officials hope international productions such as Race Across the World could achieve, although the two productions differ in scale and format.
Rather than a scripted Hollywood film, Race Across the World is an adventure reality competition in which pairs of contestants travel across countries on restricted budgets and largely rely on local forms of transport.
The format puts participants in direct contact with communities along their route, bringing local transport, everyday life, food, culture and tourism destinations into the programme rather than using countries simply as backdrops.
According to the ministry, the current race travels through China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The version being filmed is scheduled for future broadcast in Spain by the entity holding the rights to produce and broadcast the Spanish adaptation of the franchise.
The original British version, broadcast by the BBC, has developed a substantial audience and the franchise has won a BAFTA.
For tourism authorities, the significance of the production extends beyond immediate visitor numbers.
Its filming at Ta Prohm provides Cambodia with another opportunity to test whether international screen exposure can translate into longer-term destination recognition — a model already demonstrated by the enduring association between the same temple and Tomb Raider.
The ministry said it intends to continue promoting international films and entertainment productions as channels to present Cambodia’s history, civilisation, cultural heritage, natural resources, and diverse destinations to foreign audiences.
The arrival of Race Across the World at Ta Prohm therefore comes at a timely moment for the government’s film-tourism ambitions: at the same temple where a Hollywood production helped introduce a generation of international viewers to Angkor more than 25 years ago. - Phnom Penh Post/ANN
