via Phnom Penh Post, 06 March 2024: In the first two months of 2024, over 33,000 tourists visited the Preah Vihear and Koh Ker temples in Cambodia, marking a significant increase in visitor numbers. While Cambodian visitor numbers slightly decreased, foreign tourist numbers saw a substantial rise, with Preah Vihear temple hosting over 14,000 visitors and Koh Ker attracting nearly 19,400. The overall tourism growth for these sites was 9.2% and 106.8% respectively, compared to the same period last year.
The National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV) reported that in the first two months of 2024, over 30,000 tourists visited the Preah Vihear and Koh Ker temples.
According to NAPV director-general Kong Puthika, from January to February, 33,964 tourists visited the temples. Of these, Preah Vihear temple welcomed 14,576 visitors, comprising 11,367 Cambodian and 3,209 foreign tourists.
He noted that during the same period last year, the temple had a total of 13,344 visitors, including 11,443 Cambodians and 1,901 foreigners, marking a 0.7% decrease in Cambodian visitors but a 68.8% increase in foreign tourists this year.
“Even though national tourist numbers dropped slightly, the considerable increase in foreign visitors earlier this year led to a 9.2% overall rise in tourism numbers for these two months compared to last year,” he continued.
Source: Tourist numbers surge at Preah Vihear, Koh Ker in early months of 2024 | Phnom Penh Post
