Centuries-old temples played host to a parade of Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and Lamborghinis
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Siem Reap, Cambodia: The centuries-old temples of Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat played host to a parade of Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and Lamborghinis Tuesday, although drivers were banned from revving their supercharged engines.Image Credit: AFP
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People look at supercars taking part in the Gumball 3000 rally, a motoring event founded by British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper where participants drive their vehicles some 3,000 miles (4,828 kms) across multiple countries, parked in front of the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province.Image Credit: AFP
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The event was intended to promote the environmentally sensitive UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, where the ruins of the Khmer empire’s greatest monuments are surrounded by lush forests and giant trees.Image Credit: AFP
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Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian country and received around 6.6 million visitors a year before the Covid-19 pandemic, when numbers nosedived to below 200,000 in 2021. 5 of 13 Visitors rebounded to nearly 5.5 million last year, netting more than $3 billion in revenue, but remained below pre-pandemic levels.Image Credit: AFP 6 of 13 Asked about the apparently incongruous nature of the occasion, Cambodia’s tourism minister Sok Soken said that strict guidelines had been imposed, with engine-revving banned “in terms of disrespect to our heritage here”.Image Credit: AFP 7 of 13 He spoke a few metres away from a Bugatti Chiron, some models of which reportedly have list prices of more than $3 million.Image Credit: AFP 8 of 13 “The display of cars is an art of technology, an inclusion of technology and a modern way of travelling,” he said, adding Cambodia “will be ready to provide hospitality to all forms of travellers”.
Visitors rebounded to nearly 5.5 million last year, netting more than $3 billion in revenue, but remained below pre-pandemic levels.Image Credit: AFP
Asked about the apparently incongruous nature of the occasion, Cambodia’s tourism minister Sok Soken said that strict guidelines had been imposed, with engine-revving banned “in terms of disrespect to our heritage here”.Image Credit: AFP
He spoke a few metres away from a Bugatti Chiron, some models of which reportedly have list prices of more than $3 million.Image Credit: AFP
“The display of cars is an art of technology, an inclusion of technology and a modern way of travelling,” he said, adding Cambodia “will be ready to provide hospitality to all forms of travellers”.