Cambodia’s Angkor Wat welcomed 2.23 m tourists in 2013
Phnom Penh : Cambodia’s two world heritage sites, the Angkor Wat temple and Preah Vihear temple, continued to see growth in the number of foreign tourists in 2013, tourism officials said .
The Angkor Wat temple welcomed about 2.23 million international visitors in the year, up 8 percent year-on-year, according to Chhoeuy Chhorn, administration chief of the Siem Reap provincial tourism department.
He said South Korea, China, Vietnam, Japan and Thailand are the largest sources of foreign arrivals to the 12th century temple in northwestern Siem Reap province.
The Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992, is the kingdom’s largest tourist destination.
“The exceptional beauty of the temple has attracted more and more visitors from year to year,” he told Xinhua, predicting further growth this year thanks to broader promotion.
Meanwhile, the Preah Vihear temple reported a 49 percent surge in foreign tourists in 2013.
You Sovan, deputy chief of the Preah Vihear provincial department, said some 10,650 foreigners visited the 11th century temple in the year, up 49 percent year-on-year.He attributed the remarkable increase in foreigners to the temple to the temple’s world heritage status and good security and safety.
Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple, is located on the top of a 525- meter-high cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in northwestern Preah Vihear province. It was placed on the prestigious World Heritage List in July 2008.- Xinhua
