SIEM REAP: The government will construct 38 roads here to modernise the city and improve the tourism experience in the renowned travel destination.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the government considered Siem Reap province to be one of the three pillars, along with Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville pro-vinces, for national development and as a destination for tourism, culture, history and nature.
Speaking at the inauguration of the project, he said the budget for the construction of the roads was US$150 million.
According to a Khmer Times report, the government was also beautifying about 9km of the Siem Reap River in the city to make it more attractive.
The road project comes under the Siem Reap Tourism Development Master Plan 2020-2035, which aims to transform the main tourism hub into a smart city while preserving Khmer culture and architecture.
"Once it is completed, the project will act as an interconnected infrastructure connecting the city to the suburbs and to major tourism sites and the national road network."
Hun Sen said it also aimed to reduce traffic congestion in the city, promote transportation growth and attract investors, businessmen and international tourists.
He added that this was an important contribution to improve the infrastructure system in Cambodia.
Describing it as another new achievement for the people, he said Siem Reap would soon see clean roads, a good drainage system and a closed-circuit television system.
"The achievement in Sihanoukville province and Siem Reap will not only solve the current issues but also encourage economic growth."
Pacific Asia Tourism Association Cambodia Chapter chairman Thourn Sinan welcomed the move, saying that although it was long overdue, they thanked the government for the initiative.
He, however, said that the return of international tourists would not depend on the infrastructure but it would be based on the global economy, which was affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the infrastructure project was a support measure to attract tourists in the future.
"The questions are how big the number of international tourists will be and by what means they will come.
"There is still no answer or prediction about this because the Covid-19 pandemic has yet to slow down across the globe, especially in Cambodia," Sinan added.
Data from the Tourism Ministry showed that in the first nine months of the year, Siem Reap Angkor welcomed 502,741 local tourists, a drop of about 67 per cent compared with last year, and 396,241 foreign tourists, a decline of 76 per cent.