Siem Reap, Cambodia, Is Home to A Brand New Airport

This week saw the official opening of Cambodia's newest and largest airport in the country's north-west.

With help from the Chinese government, the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport has become the primary entry point to the Angkor Archaeological Complex, one of the country's most visited tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The new airport is around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the conservation area, and it saw its inaugural flight on Monday morning, serviced by Bangkok Airways of Thailand.

The Siem Reap International Airport (REP), which opened in 1932 and is located at a short distance from the Angkor temple complex, has been replaced by the newer hub, which is known by its International Air Transport Association code of SAI.

The new airport, built with a runway 3,600 meters long and paid for by China as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, can accommodate 7 million people annually, which is 2 million more than REP.

The Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia reported that the Yunnan Aviation Industry Investment Group operates and manages the terminal, making it the first overseas international hub built by Chinese firms under the "Build-Operate-Transfer" model. As a "4E airport," it is able to handle the largest commercial aircraft, including those used on international, long-distance flights.

The airport's construction started in 2020, and its design is said to be based on classic Khmer architecture. However, the official airport portal provides a detailed schedule of outgoing and incoming aircraft but provides little data on the services, shops, and restaurants at the new site.

The UNESCO inscription lists the Angkor complex as one of the most significant archaeological monuments in Southeast Asia, so it's no surprise that many tourists go to Siem Reap just to see it.

Several Khmer capitals from the 9th to the 15th centuries are preserved in this park that spans over 400 square kilometres. However, most visitors only stop at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thot, and the Bayon temples.

On the other hand, the tourism industry in Cambodia is on the rise. The first eight months of 2023 saw 3.5 million foreign visitors, according to figures recently provided by Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism.

That's up 250.8% from the same time the year before, but down 19.7% from 2019 when the government shut its borders due to the coronavirus outbreak. In March of 2022, Cambodia removed its travel ban on Covid and welcomed visitors once again. The government also predicted that the country would welcome between 4.5 and 5 million foreign visitors by the end of this year.

 

Source: edition.cnn.com