KAMPONG THOM: More than 400,000 tourists and residents attended the first two days of the 7th River Festival in Kampong Thom province from 7-8 March 2023. The festival is running for three days total, from 8-10 March, under the theme "Our River for Now and the Future."

According to the Director of the Kampong Thom Provincial Department of Tourism, around 18,500 people attended the 7th River Festival on 7 March, while about 385,000 people attended on 8 March, bringing the total number of visitors to 403,500.

The Minister of Tourism, Thong Khon, has said that the organization of the festival contributes to enhancing the tourism sector in Cambodia, which, in turn, also supports the development of agriculture and espcially creates job opportunities for farmers, artisans and producers. The festival features a total of 300 booths, including food and beverage stalls, agro-tourism exhibitions, and small and medium enterprises selling products.

In addition, the festival also features performances of traditional and contemporary mixed arts with the participation of national and provincial artists, as well as sports activities, including a 3 km and 5 km run, football, beach volleyball, petanque, Khmer boxing, foosball, and more. These sports activities also reflect participation in the celebration of the 32nd SEA Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games, which will be hosted by Cambodia for the first time in 57 days.

The Tourism Minister expects the three-day river festival to receive at least 1 million tourists in total. This year's River Festival will also last for a total of five days, including the weekend, up until 12 March.