Selling a variety of souvenirs to tourists at the iconic Angkor Wat temple in the Angkor Archaeological Park, vendor Srey Mao has high hopes that more Chinese tourists will visit this UNESCO World Heritage site, as 2025 marks the Cambodia-China Tourism Year.
The 35-year-old vendor, who has sold gifts to tourists at Angkor Wat for over a decade, said she is eager to see the large numbers of Chinese tourists visiting the ancient park, noting that they are big spenders on souvenirs.
“They like buying souvenirs of Angkor Wat-imaged T-shirts and other Angkor Wat-imaged souvenirs such as paintings and leather carvings,” she told Xinhua on Saturday. “I’m keen to see more tourists; the more they come, the better our economy will be.”
Srey Mao said at the UNESCO-listed Angkor park, tourists can sightsee the Angkor Wat temple, Bayon temple, Ta Prohm temple, Phnom Bakheng temple, and Banteay Srei temple, among others.
Mouy Meoun, a 41-year-old souvenir vendor at Ta Prohm Temple in the Angkor Archaeological Park, said the presence of Chinese holidaymakers is vital to help drive Cambodia’s tourism growth and improve local livelihoods.
“As a vendor, I wish to see more tourists come and visit temples in Siem Reap province,” she told Xinhua on Saturday. “I long to see the large numbers of them at the Angkor park, so my sales will be good.”
Situated in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-kilometre Angkor Archaeological Park, the kingdom’s most popular tourist destination, is home to 91 ancient temples, built between the ninth and 13th centuries.
Cambodia recorded 53,291 Chinese tourists visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park in the first seven months of 2025, a 21 per cent increase from 44,053 over the same period last year, according to a recent report by the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.
China was the fourth-biggest source of international tourist arrivals to the ancient park after the United States, Britain, and France during the January-July period this year, the report said.
Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said with 2025 being named the Cambodia-China Tourism Year, the kingdom is expected to see a notable surge in Chinese tourist arrivals to the Angkor Archaeological Park this year.
“This increase will likely be driven by enhanced bilateral cooperation, promotional campaigns, and greater accessibility through direct flights and group tour packages,” he told Xinhua. “Angkor, as one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic cultural and spiritual landmarks, holds great appeal to Chinese visitors who value history, architecture, and spiritual heritage.”
Mengdavid said the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, which has been in commercial operation since November 2023, has also provided convenience to all international tourists, including Chinese ones, for travelling to the Angkor park. Xinhua
