Angkor Archaeological Park

Angkor Archaeological Park, a major tourist destination in Cambodia, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 14, 1992. Covering an area of ​​401 square kilometers, the Angkor site contains various capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries and contains several important temples such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Chao Say Devda and Takeo, among others. Long Kosal, deputy director general and spokesman for the Apsara National Authority, the government agency in charge of managing, protecting and conserving the area, said China has been helping to restore the damaged temples there since 1997, successfully restoring Chao Say Devda and Keo temples. He said the restoration work on Chao Say Devda was completed in 2008, and on Takeo temple, which began in late 2010, was completed in 2018. "And since 2019, Chinese experts have started working on an 11-year restoration project of Phimean Akas Temple," he told Xinhua. Located inside the surrounding walls of Angkor Thom, Phimean Aka Temple was built in the mid-10th century. It is considered a sacred site within the royal palace, with an area of ​​581 meters long and 242 meters wide. Mr. Kosal said that despite the spread of COVID-19, the restoration work is still progressing smoothly. “We highly appreciate China’s active contribution to the protection, conservation and development of Angkor,” he said. “China’s assistance has not only contributed to ensuring the sustainable development of our cultural heritage, but also helped train Cambodian experts in restoration and conservation work.” Meanwhile, Mr. Kosal said that during the pandemic, when there were few tourists visiting the site, the Apsara National Authority took the opportunity to carry out restoration, maintenance and gardening work at the site to enhance its beauty. “Now, the Angkor Archaeological Park is ready to welcome all tourists from around the world,” he said. “As our country reopens its borders to fully vaccinated travelers without the need for quarantine, I believe more international tourists will spend their vacations visiting Angkor in the future.” Before the pandemic, Angkor attracted 2.2 million international visitors in 2019, generating $99 million in ticket sales.

Secretary of State and Ministry of Tourism spokesman Top Sopheak said the number of foreign tourists visiting Angkor gradually recovered in the first quarter of 2022, adding that it received 19,840 foreign tourists during January-March this year, up 342 percent from 4,482 in the same period last year. "Angkor now attracts about 400 foreign tourists a day, which has gradually increased from 70 a day during the pandemic over the past two years," he told Xinhua. Sopheak recalled that before the pandemic, the site received up to 9,000 international visitors a day. Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said some tour and travel operators have resumed business after the country fully resumed socio-economic activities and reopened its borders to vaccinated travelers without quarantine due to the high vaccination rate. "We hope that international tourists will gradually return to Cambodia, especially to Angkor, as many flights between Cambodia and other countries have resumed," she said.