Angkor Wat continues to drive tourist numbers

Tourist arrivals to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat increased by almost 25 percent in the first eight months of the year compared with 2010, according to statistics obtained from the Siem Reap Tourism Department.

An increasing number of Asian tourists, especially from neighbouring Vietnam, had benefitted the Kingdom’s tourism industry, said Chhoeuy Chhorn, the department’s administrative director.

“The increasing number of direct flights from regional countries is encouraging more tourists to visit Angkor Wat,” he said.


A total of 1,048,158 international tourists visited Angkor Wat Temple between January and August, a 24.4-percent increase from the 842,873 tourists visiting last year, the figures show.

“I strongly believe that international tourists will continue to increase in the coming months, due to the growing number of chartered flights arriving from South Korea and China,” Chhoeuy Chhorn said.

In August, Siem Reap Airport received 28 flights from South Korea and China, he stated, adding that 3,000 Thai tourists visited the temple, showing that “everything appears to be back to normal”.

The statistics show that Vietnam was the largest source of arrivals to Angkor Wat, with 188,064 tourists visiting in the first eight months of this year, a 37.5-percent increase over the same period in 2010.

South Korea and China ranked second and third, respectively.