Cambodia’s Angkor sees 74 pct drop in foreign visitors in first 8 months

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) — Cambodia’s famed Angkor Archeological Park received 393,293 foreign visitors during the first eight months of 2020, down 74 percent over the same period last year, said a press statement on Tuesday.

The ancient site earned gross revenue of 18.33 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales during the January-August period this year, down about 73 percent over the same period last year, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise’s statement.

In August alone, the park attracted 3,663 foreigners, earning 161,021 U.S. dollars from ticket sales, down 97.6 percent and 97.7 percent respectively compared to the same month last year, it said.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the kingdom’s most popular tourist destination.

The huge decline in foreign tourists to the park was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the country to impose entry restrictions for all foreign travelers since March to stem the virus spread.

The Southeast Asian nation has recorded a total of 274 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, said a Ministry of Health’s statement on Tuesday, adding that none has died and 266 have recovered.

Credited: Xinhua