
Hanoi (VNA) - Cambodia's famedAngkor Archeological Park received 398,485 international visitors during thefirst 10 months of this year, down 78 percent year-on-year, said a pressstatement released to media on November 2.
The ancient park earned 18.55 million USDin revenue from ticket sales during the January-October period this year, alsodown 77 percent from the same period last year, said the state-owned AngkorEnterprise's statement.
In October alone, the site welcomed 2,244foreigners, earning 93,598 USD, down 98.4 percent and 98.5 percent,respectively compared to the same month last year, it said.
The sharp decline was due to the impact ofCOVID-19 pandemic that has forced the Southeast Asian nation to impose entryrestrictions for all foreign travelers since March.
The Ministry of Tourism's secretary ofstate and spokesman Top Sopheak said prior to the COVID-19, the site attractedaround 9,000 foreign tourists a day, but currently, it averagely serves only 70a day and those are foreigners living and working in Cambodia.
Cambodia expects that the number ofinternational visitors to the Angkor Archeological Park will start to reboundgradually in the first quarter of 2021 if COVID-19 vaccines are available, hesaid.
Top Sopheak said China will undoubtedlyremain the largest source of tourists to Cambodia during the post-COVID-19 era.
Situated in northwest Siem Reap province,the Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in1992, is Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination./.