Cambodian Online
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2,000 Japanese to visit Angkor Wat
The Editor
Managing Editor
Cambodian Online
24-Aug-2005
Last Edited
Over 2,000 Japanese to visit Angkor Wat by direct flight from PHNOM PENH, Nov. 8 2003 - (Kyodo) - More than 2,000 Japanese tourists are due to visit Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat over the coming days using direct charter flights introduced to mark the 50th anniversary of Cambodia-Japan diplomatic relations, a government official said Saturday. Thong Khon, secretary of state for tourism, told Kyodo News that the first batch of some 200 Japanese tourists arrived in Cambodia on Friday by Kampuchea Airlines, which is affiliated with Bangkok-based Orient Thai Airlines. The Boeing 757 charter flight, which originally departed from Fukushima, flew the tourists to Siem Reap, the home to Angkor Wat and other ancient temples, via Niigata. It was the first in a series of direct charter flights from Japan during the anniversary celebrations, which began Saturday and are scheduled to last through Thursday. A total of 2,195 Japanese tourists are expected to travel take these direct flights. "The start of such direct flights from Japan to Cambodia will further boost Cambodia's tourism industry," Thong Khon said. "That means Cambodia is now integrated deeper into Japanese markets." The commemorative events, which are taking place in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and in the eastern Province of Kampong Cham, feature performances of Cambodian and Japanese traditional music and dances, a peace parade, cycling, Japanese marital arts exhibition, a youth forum, a marathon, and a Japanese speech contest. Angkor Wat, built between 9th and 12th centuries, dominates the landscape in Siem Reap and is widely considered one of the seven architectural wonders of the medieval world. Japanese top the list of overseas travelers to Angkor temples. Thong Khon said Japanese tourists grew 439% in 2002 over the previous year, rising 90,000 from 18,000 in 2001. During the first nine months of this year, nearly 60,000 Japanese out of 470,000 foreign tourists visited Cambodia. Kampuchea Airlines announced Friday that it was introducing daily non-stop Boeing 757 service to Siem Reap from Tokyo and seven other localities in Japan during the period of the celebrations. Japanese tourists previously had to fly through Singapore, Vietnam or Thailand to reach Siem Reap. Thong Khon said by early next year, Japanese airlines will also operate direct flights to Phnom Penh. He said the Phnom Penh International Airport's runway will be widened from 40 meters to 45 meters to meet the standard required by the Japanese side. 11/08/03 05:53 EST Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.