Siem Reap reaps record revenue

Angkor Wat continues to be Cambodia's biggest cash cow, with rising visitor numbers increasing Tourism revenue steadily.

Siem Reap Province reported it earned US$1,400 million in tourism revenue in 2007.

Cambodia’s local news agency, Agence Kampuchea Presse cited the province’s annual report showing tourism revenue of US$1,400 million in 2007.

The revenue was contributed by Angkor Wat, other temples, historical resorts and the Phnom Koulen waterfall.

According to the report, visitor numbers to Siem Reap increased by 24.08% in 2007 over the year before. The number of local and foreign tourists reached 2,033,816 last year, with the foreign figure jumping 30% to 1.1million.

The province currently offers 105 hotels and 201 guesthouses.

Recent figures from the Ministry of Tourism show that visitor arrivals through the Siem Reap International Airport during the first four months of this year slipped 1.15% to 291,804. In April alone arrivals at the airport dropped 6.92% from 57,960 to 53,947.