FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Angkor ticket sales jump by 1,000% in first half as Cambodia opens

Angkor ticket sales jump by 1,000% in first half as Cambodia opens

Angkor Archaeological Park netted more than $2.4 million (85.7 million baht) from ticket sales in the first half of 2022, an increase of more than 1,000 per cent year-on-year, Angkor Enterprise reports.

According to a July 1 statement issued by Angkor Enterprise, the state-run institution that manages ticket sales for international visitors to the 400sq km Unesco site, a total of 59,983 tickets worth $2,420,081 were sold in January-June, a rise of over 1,000 per cent year-on-year.

The prices of one-day, three-day and seven-day tickets for Angkor currently stand at $37, $62, and $72. Entry is free for Cambodians.

The number of visitors to Angkor and other attractions in Siem Reap province has jumped since the government rolled back Covid-19 entry-exit rules.

Apsara National Authority (ANA) deputy director-general Long Kosal told The Post that although still below pre-Covid levels, the boost in travellers and tourism revenue to the province’s primary tourism zone were “good signs” following a more-than-two-year pandemic hiatus.

He said this illustrates that Angkor was still a draw for national and international visitors, which he hailed as welcome news for the Siem Reap tourism industry.

“The important thing is to instil confidence in those considering visiting, which is crucial in managing the development of the tourism sector. And confidence can be enhanced by providing safer, more enjoyable and unique entertainment, more efficient tour arrangements and transport of tourists from one place to another,” Kosal said.

He added that the ANA is preparing other attractions at Angkor, such as bike paths and boat trips at the North Baray (Jayatataka) reservoir, which has the small Buddhist temple Neak Pean, or “entwined Nagas”, in the middle.

However, tourism activity in Siem Reap remains subdued, due to the still-limited number of international visitors, said Thourn Sinan, chairman of IMCT Co Ltd and Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter (PATACC).

“Siem Reap was the worst affected by the Covid-19 crisis since it’s completely dependent on tourists. Nonetheless, we expect that the number of tourists visiting the province, especially the Angkor Archaeological Park, will keep rising,” he said.

According to the local Tourism Department, Siem Reap received just over 1 million (1,027,779) visitors from January-May, marking a 744.87 per cent rise year-on-year.

The Phnom Penh Post

Asia News Network

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), The Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Angkor ticket sales jump by 1,000% in first half as Cambodia opens

RELATED
nationthailand