Unique Siem Reap River Festival in Cambodia

Cambodia is a country of many rivers. The country's river system, notably the Mekong and Tonle Sap, plays an important role in daily life, tourism, transportation and trade. In 2024, the 8th River Festival will be held in Siem Reap, offering visitors a unique and impressive cultural experience.

The Siem Reap River Festival is held at the riverside park near Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Cham Temple, bringing together many unique activities such as art performances with traditional dances and unique Cambodian folk music; an exhibition fair where visitors have the opportunity to explore handicrafts and typical cuisine of Cambodian provinces; and a lantern festival creating a magical and shimmering scene.

Top Sopheak, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, said this year’s festival places special emphasis on raising public awareness of environmental protection. Activities to promote and educate people about river protection are being held to encourage them to join hands in preserving this precious resource.

This festival is not only a cultural event, but also an opportunity for Cambodians to express their gratitude to the river and Tonle Sap Lake - a precious but limited and vulnerable natural resource. The festival also contributes to promoting local tourism, promoting the image of Siem Reap to international friends.

Cambodia's tourism authority said 161,272 tourists visited Siem Reap on the first day of the festival. The Siem Reap provincial tourism department added that there were 150,000 domestic tourists, including 65,000 in Siem Reap and 11,272 foreign tourists.

Coming to Siem Reap, tourists can also visit relics such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Bayon temple, go shopping at old markets, fruit markets, visit the zoo and many other places for picnics close to nature.

Since 2015, the River Festival has been held annually with the aim of promoting people to participate in the movement of sustainable river resource development, participating in the tourism diversification campaign by creating new tourism events in the riverside provinces.

Tourism is one of the four main pillars of Cambodia's economy. Official reports show the kingdom is expected to attract an estimated 5.43 million international tourists in 2023, up 139% from 2.27 million in 2022.