Increase in Chinese tourists see shortage of hotels in Angkor

Siem Reap is experiencing a shortage of luxury hotel rooms, following a sharp increase of visitors to Angkor from China.

Chinese tourists flock to Angkor Wat

Bangkok Post, 01 November 2014

A sharp increase in Chinese travellers to Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s main tourist attraction, has triggered a scramble for accommodation there among foreign visitors, a senior government official said Saturday.

Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said he has heard complaints from tour agencies during recent tourism forums in Japan and South Korea that they are unable to book hotels in Siem Reap, home to the ancient Hindu and Buddhist temple complexes in northern Cambodia.

“In recent years, Chinese tourists have been looking for luxury and boutique hotels, which are also wanted by Japanese and Korean travellers,” he said.

There are less than 30 luxury and boutique hotels in Siem Reap out of 170 hotels and 250 guesthouses in the area, according to Thong Khon.

Statistics from the Tourism Office in Siem Reap show that the number of Chinese tourists to Siem Reap rose 14.87% in the first eight months of this year to 208,180, while the number of Japanese was up by 4.55% to 99,399 and that of South Koreans up 2.94% to 250,926.

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