Cambodia’s reopened Siem Reap sets its sights on a ‘quality’ tourist resurgence
- The gateway to Angkor Wat aims to triple its foreign tourist arrivals in 15 years, with a particular focus on ensuring rural communities share in the wealth
- Cambodia expects to welcome 1 million international visitors this year, as hostels in the capital and other tourists hotspots report nearing full capacity
Cambodia’s Angkor Wat is bouncing back, with an eco-friendly face.
Siem Reap, the gateway to the ruins of Angkor, aims to triple its number of international tourist arrivals over the next 15 years and use this tourism revenue to accelerate rural development, under a development plan drafted in the first year of the pandemic.
A US$150 million makeover of the city was completed in March, including widening and adding roads and highways, expanding broadband access, and creating bicycle lanes along the river that meanders through it.
“Siem Reap’s downtown and surroundings, as well as the Angkor Wat heritage park, now have a new face,” said Thourn Sinan, president of the Cambodian chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association. “This new face is a very effective way to attract more international tourists and convince them to stay longer.”
Thourn said he was optimistic that Cambodia could become a “quality tourism” destination, as Siem Reap seeks to meet its development target of 7.5 million international tourists and 10.9 million domestic visitors per year by 2035.