Angkor Sankranta 2018 Attracts Over 1.8 Million Visitors
Some 1.82 million national and international tourists joined the Angkor Sankranta 2018, the sixth of its kind, in Siem Reap cultural province, a 15.14 percent year-on-year increase, Minister of Tourism H.E. Thong Khon said.
Thach Phanarong/AKP of the tourists, he pointed out, more than 1.78 million are local visitors and 36,694 are foreign visitors, up 15.16 and 14.25 percent, respectively.
Angkor Sankranta, a major cultural and attractive event in Cambodia, was included in the Visit ASEAN@50 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN last year, he underlined.
In ASEAN, there are more than 50 cultural tourism events, of which five are in Cambodia – Water Festival, Angkor Sankranta, Sea Festival, River Festival, and Half Marathon.
Angkor Sankranta took place this year from April 13 to 16 in Siem Reap province, where the well-known Angkor Wat Temple is located, to celebrate the Khmer Traditional New Year. It is aimed to show off the solidarity of the Cambodian family as a whole and to contribute to maintaining Cambodian tradition, culture, and custom.
Various interesting programmes were organised during the four-day annual event, such as art performances – Preah Reach Troap Dance (Royal Ballet), Lakhon Khol (masked theatre), etc. – Khmer popular games, and an exhibition on Sambor Prey Kuk Temple, which was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 8, 2017, as well as the show of a giant Hanuman (monkey god in Hindu mythology) mask.