PHNOM PENH, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Angkor Archaeological Park attracted 898,339 international tourists during the first 11 months of 2024, with Chinese tourists accounting for 7.92 percent, said an official report on Wednesday.
According to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's report, 71,176 Chinese visitors toured the ancient park during the January-November period this year, up 43.2 percent over the same period last year.
China ranked the fourth largest source of foreign visitors to the Angkor complex after the United States, Britain, and France, the report added.
Situated in northwest Siem Reap province, the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country.
The 401-square-km site is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.
Long Kosal, deputy director-general and spokesperson of the APSARA National Authority, said the launches of the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport in November 2023 and the Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year 2024 had attributed to the rise of Chinese tourist arrivals to the park.
The spokesperson said China is one of the major contributors to safeguarding, preserving and developing the Angkor.
"China's contribution to restoring those ancient temples has not only ensured the protection of the Angkor monuments, but also helped attract more and more Chinese tourists to the site," Kosal told Xinhua. ■
