PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s famed Angkor Archaeological Park made US$30.33 million from ticket sales in the first eight months of 2024, up 31.3 per cent from US$23.09 million over the same period last year, said an official report on Sunday, according to Xinhua.

The Angkor attracted 651,857 international tourists during the January-August period this year, up 30.7 per cent from 498,513 over the same period last year, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise’s report.

The top five source markets for the ancient site were the United States, Britain, France, South Korea and China, according to the report.

In August this year alone, the site received 67,482 foreign holidaymakers, earning US$3.15 million in revenue, up 14 per cent and 13.7 per cent, respectively compared to the same month last year, the report said.

Situated in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

The site, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country.

Ministry of Tourism’s Secretary of State and spokesperson Top Sopheak said the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, which was put into commercial operations in November 2023, has helped attract more international travellers to the Angkor park.

“The Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year 2024 has also helped encourage more Chinese tourists to visit Cambodia and the Angkor,“ he told Xinhua.

- Bernama, Xinhua