ASEAN

Cambodia to introduce pass for foreigners to visit world-famous Angkor Wat

SIEM REAP: Cambodia plans to introduce a convenient, single lifetime pass for foreign travellers to visit the Angkor Archaeological Park, where the world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex is located.

The move by the Ministry of Tourism is designed to stimulate tourism to the culturally rich province of Siem Reap and potentially other areas as 2023 has been designated as "Visit Cambodia Year 2023".

According to The Phnom Penh Post, the lifetime pass could potentially grant access to the whole archaeological park.

Currently, separate tickets are required to enter temples in certain areas, with only one-day, three-day and seven-day tickets available for the main section, which includes the main attraction Angkor Wat.

Tickets for foreigners cost US$37, US$62 and US$72, respectively, while Cambodians need not pay entry fees.

The ministry said in a statement that the "Angkor Lifetime Pass" and other proposals for special tourism packages and offers that centred on Siem Reap were presented recently during the first meeting of the Sub-Committee on Tourism Promotion and Attraction.

The panel is under the Siem Reap - Angkor Tourism Management and Development Commission, which is led by Minister of Tourism Thong Khon.

Khon said in the statement that the "Angkor Pass Package" was a possible add-on to the lifetime pass for "visiting temples".

He added that the "Privileged Pass Package" would give priority to international visitors to use certain tourism services in the country.

The tourism minister said the government was studying the proposals with the private sector and relevant institutions involved in tourism so as to ensure better guest satisfaction and repeat visits.

The Post also reports that Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Cambodia chapter chairman Thourn Sinan welcomed the prospects of an "Angkor Lifetime Pass".

To succeed, he said the initiative would require the participation of all stakeholders and it will also need funds to support these tour packages.

"In addition, we must pay attention to service and pricing issues, given how much Siem Reap is developing, and in doing so, all of us tourism players and stakeholders must refrain from overreliance on the tourism ministry," he said.

The Post said the Cambodian government had recently launched the action plan for the Siem Reap Tourism Development Master Plan (2022-2023), that focuses on six priority destinations.

The master plan is meant to boost tourism and regain pre-Covid tourist numbers in the province.

The action plan involves various strategies and implementation activities for Angkor Archaeological Park, Phnom Kulen National Park, Banteay Srei Protected Area, the Siem Reap town area, the Tonle Sap Lake area, and Siem Reap Thmey Tourism Area.

The tourism minister had also said that the Siem Reap province hoped to welcome over 100,000 international travellers in 2022, with plans to increase the figure to 500,000 in 2023.

According to the tourism ministry, Siem Reap received about 60,000 international visitors in the first half of 2022, up by more than 1,000 per cent from the corresponding period in 2021.

In the same period, domestic trips rose to over one million, representing a growth of almost 800 per cent from a year ago, while 387 flights to Siem Reap were recorded.

The Angkor Archaeological Park had previously reported that ticket sales in the first half of 2022 stood at more than US$2.4 million.

According to Angkor Enterprise, the state-run institution that manages tickets sales for international visitors to the 400sq km Unesco site, the number of visitors to the Angkor park and other attractions in Siem Reap province have jumped considerably since the government rolled back Covid-19 border controls.

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