Siem Reap reinvents itself to attract more high-value tourists

At the Ta Phrom temple complex, the ruins are overgrown with kapok tree roots. — ZACHARIE SCHEURER/dpa

Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khymer Empire in modern-day Cambodia, is one of the world’s leading attractions, with the number of tourists marvelling at the Unesco World Heritage Site growing steadily for many years.

As a result, nearby Siem Reap – which used to be little more than a few streets with French colonial buildings – has grown to become a bustling city of around 250,000 inhabitants.