March 20, 2024
PHNOM PENH – This year’s three-day 8th River festival attracted over 550,000 guests to Siem Reap, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.
Its March 18 report detailed that more than 160,000 people, including over 10,000 foreigners and around 65,000 Siem Reap residents, visited the first day of the festival on March 15.
The number of visitors swelled to almost 300,000 on the second day, including over 10,000 foreign guests and nearly 160,000 local residents. March 17, the final day of celebrations, saw almost 100,000 revellers, including some 10,000 international tourists.
Ministry spokesman Top Sopheak said on March 18 that this year’s visitor numbers were higher than expected, an indication of how well organised the event was. He believes that the festival provided numerous benefits to the residents of the province.
He explained that this year’s celebrations were held in Siem Reap in order to draw attention to enhanced tourist services, as well as to inspire the public to preserve natural resources on the basis of a joint commitment to maintain the balance between environmental, economical, social and cultural interests.
“We created this major tourism event near the [Siem Reap] river as a stimulant for the local economy, in line with the government’s strategy to diversify tourist products, especially as Cambodia protects and conserves so many of its natural resources,” he added.
Ho Vandy, an adviser to the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, believes that the festival was so successful because it was well arranged, in collaboration with the tourism ministry and the local authorities. The event featured art performances, concerts and celebratory firework displays, in addition to the Mekong food festival. It also showcased new tourism development projects in Siem Reap, tourist products and general Khmer products.
“We were impressed by the number of interesting activities that were organised. These included bicycle rides around the Angkor Wat compound, a golf competition, boating activities and archery. Each of these fun activities attracted the attention of the public,” he said.
Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian also attended the event, where he admired a cultural exhibition by the Chinese embassy, which was dedicated to the “Year of Chinese-Cambodian people-to-people exchanges”.
The embassy announced that while visiting the exhibition, Prime Minister Hun Manet showed particular interest in a photographic exhibition people-to-people exchanges, as well as a showcase of Chinese handicrafts.
He also admired a Chinese zither performance and a Chinese tea ceremony, it added.