Cambodia earned $61.4 million in revenue from the sale of tickets at Angkor Wat during the first half of 2018, a hike of nearly 18 percent compared to last year, according to figures from Angkor Enterprise released yesterday.
From January to June, 1.35 million visited the archeological park, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period last year.
Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Cambodia Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said the increase in visitors shows that the government’s strategy for the tourism industry is working, but stressed that more needs to be done to keeping luring more foreign visitors.
“To attract more tourists into our country, we need to improve service in the tourism industry and we must focus on diversifying our offer of tourism products,” he said.
Ho Vandy, secretary-general of the Cambodia National Tourism Alliance, said the hike in ticket sales at Angkor Wat is not surprising as the archaeological park remains at the top of the list of attractions for visitors to the country.
“Despite the increase of prices for entrance tickets, the number of visitors to the site continues to increase, which shows that the government’s strategy has been successful.
“More tourists means more money for the government, which will be used to develop alternative tourism destinations to widen our tourism offer,” he added.
In 2016, the government bumped up prices for every type of ticket at Angkor Wat. A one-day ticket now costs $37, up from $20 previously, while the three-day ticket went from $40 to $60. A week-long pass now costs $72, up from $60.
A $2 donation is included in every ticket sale and is used to provide treatment for Cambodian children in need of medical attention at the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital.
This article was originally published in the Khmer Times.
