China’s carrier Air China will open a direct Beijing-Siem Reap air route next month in service of the increasing exchanges between the country and Cambodia.

Xinhua news agency said the company will initially conduct two flights every week using Boeing 747s, and increase the number into four early next year.

Head of the Siem Reap tourism representative office Ngao Seang said the launch of the new route is an important event as it will increase of the flow of Chinese tourists to the Cambodian province, home to the world-renown Angkor Wat temple, in the time to come.

Recent statistics show that since 2012, there have been more than 2.3 million foreign tourist arrivals in the province, with those from the Republic of Korea topping the list (nearly 302,000), followed by Vietnam (202,000) and China (163,000).-VNA