Cambodia earns $ 35 million from Q1 ticket sales for Angkor Park

Siem Reap [Cambodia], Apr 2 (ANI/The Phnom Penh Post): Cambodia earned over USD 35 million from ticket sales to the Angkor Archaeological Park here in the first quarter, according to Angkor Enterprise.
As compared to last year's date, there has been a nine per cent drop in the revenue generated from ticket sales to one of Cambodia's most iconic tourist sites.
Quoting Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism spokesman, Top Sopheak, The Phnom Penh Post reported that the decline in tourists is due to the hot weather. Sopheak, however, added that the decrease was not a cause for concern. He said that 'tourism fluctuation' is a "normal trend" and not unusual.
"It is a normal trend - since the weather is very hot, the tourist may change their destination to coastal areas or an eco-tourism site," he said.
Backing the statement, Cambodia Association of Travel Agents President Chhay Sivlin said that while overall trends are stable, the period of stay by tourists has decreased.
Sivlin opined that the 2017 ticket price increase may be a factor in this.
"Visitor arrivals are stable, but I have noticed that they’ve reduced the length of their stay. Usually, foreigners stayed three days but now they mostly prefer a single day," Sivlin stated.
Meanwhile, Cambodia Tourism Federation chairman Sinan Thourn said that the country's tourism market is not "balanced", urging the government to launch efforts to attract more tourists.
"To maintain tourist numbers, the government should try to make the temple go more ‘green’ during the dry season, as well as introduce quality services," he said.
According to figures released by the Angkor Enterprise, there is an 8.23 per cent drop in tourists with 787,900 foreign tourists visiting the park in 2019's first three months.
Despite the latest figures, The Phnom Penh Post reports that the temple complex remains a top money-maker when compared to other world heritage sites like Preah Vihear province’s Preah Vihear Temple and Kampong Thom province’s Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site. (ANI/The Phnom Penh Post)