Buddhist monks attend the event of "Angkor Thanksgiving" in Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Dec. 14, 2021. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)
"Angkor Thanksgiving" was to mark the 29th anniversary of the inscription of the Angkor Archeological Park in the UNESCO's World Heritage List on Dec. 14, 1992.
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday held a religious ceremony in front of the famed Angkor Wat in northwestern Siem Reap province to officially begin the event of "Angkor Thanksgiving".
Organized by the APSARA National Authority (ANA), the ceremony took part by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection of Cambodia Men Sam An and Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona as well as hundreds of officials and loacal residents.
This religious ceremony included giving alms to Buddhist monks in front of the Angkor Wat, the ANA said in a news release, adding that the three-day "Angkor Thanksgiving" would feature different programs such as religious rituals, nightly art performances and exhibitions.
Buddhist monks attend the event of "Angkor Thanksgiving" in Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Dec. 14, 2021. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)
Speaking at the opening event, Men Sam An said "Angkor Thanksgiving" was to mark the 29th anniversary of the inscription of the Angkor Archeological Park in the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)'s World Heritage List on Dec. 14, 1992.
Meanwhile, Sackona said the event provided an opportunity for the public to visit and learn about the work at the temple restoration sites where the ANA is operating.
"This event is a message to our compatriots to join in safeguarding and preserving the Angkor and other national heritage for common interest," she said.
Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2021 shows the eastern entrance of Angkor Wat at the Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. (APSARA National Authority/Handout via Xinhua)
The minister added that the event was also designed to revive tourism as the COVID-19 situation in the kingdom had been brought under control and fully vaccinated foreign travelers could visit the country without quarantine.
The 401-sq-km Angkor Archeological Park is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the site attracted up to 2.2 million international tourists in 2019, generating gross revenue of 99 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to Angkor Enterprise.
The ancient park welcomed only 9,488 foreigners in the first 11 months of 2021, the Angkor Enterprise said, adding that it earned gross revenue of only 385,696 dollars from ticket sales during the same period. ■
