SIEM REAP: Siem Reap saw more visitors to this year’s Water Festival than it did the year before Covid hit. According to the Department of tourism, more than 30,000 tourists came to visit Siem Reap during the three days of the 2023 Water Festival, an increase of 10% compared to 2019.

According to the Director of Siem Reap’s Department of Tourism, Ngov Seng Kak, about 304,261 people attended this year’s festivities, whereas 276,592 people visited in 2019.

While overall numbers are up, foreign tourist numbers still have a ways to go to return to pre-Covid conditions. Ngov Seng Kak said that there were 14,261 foreign tourists this year, down 46% when compared to the same period in 2019 when the department counted 26,592 foreigners. The number of domestic visitors was up 16%, however, when compared to 2019, with about 290,000 convening in the town. Of the total visitors, around 147,000 visited Angkor Wat while about 8,000 ventured to Kulen Mountain.