In bid to attract more Buddhist tourists, Cambodia has started to build its tallest Buddha statue on top of Bokor Mountain. The country’s best known tourism site, Angkor Wat, received over 287,000 visitors last year, about 10 pc of the pre-pandemic figure.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 108-metre high Buddha statue, on top of Bokor Mountain at the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park in Kampot province, making it the tallest Buddha statue in Cambodia, was held at the site on Sunday.

The ceremony was held this morning under the presidency of Chea Sophara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction.

To be built by the Sokha Hotel Group, a local conglomerate, at “Veal Sre 500” on the mountain, the statue will serve as a sacred site for Cambodians, contribute to enhancing Buddhism, and create new tourism potential at the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, according to a press statement by the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction.

The statue erection will follow the master plan and style approved by an inter-ministerial working group with support from the supreme patriarchs of Cambodia, the statement adds.

Meanwhile, the return of tourism to the country seems slow in picking up as the most famous tourist site in the country managed to get only about 10 pc of its pre-pandemic tourists last year.

The Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage  Site, welcomed 287,454 foreign visitors in 2022, earning over USD 11.5 million from ticket sales, the state-owned Angkor Enterprise said in a news release.

The statement adds that as the Covid-19 crisis in Cambodia eased and with the reopening of the country and Angkor temples to the return of tourists, foreign arrivals to the Kingdom also increased. It says that part of the revenue from the ticket sales was donated to Cambodia Kantha Bopha Foundation to support the humanitarian activities of Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in this Southeast Asian nation.

During the pre-pandemic era, in 2019, the Angkor resort received up to 2.2 million international visitors, generating USD 99 million in revenue from ticket sales, according to the Angkor Enterprise.

The Royal Government of Cambodia has approved the 2021-2025 roadmap to restore Cambodia’s tourism during and after Covid-19 crisis and Siem Reap tourism development master plan 2021-2035.