More than 10,000 tourists woke up at 5am yesterday to visit Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap to watch the Spring Equinox sunrise.
Seng Sotheara, Director of the Department of Natural Cultural Tourism of Apsara Authority, said more than 10,000 foreign visitors and Cambodian people visited the temple to enjoy the sunrise above the central tower of Angkor Wat temple.
He estimated that more than 2,500 international tourists along with 7,500 Cambodian visitors flocked to the site before dawn.
Each year, the equinox occurs twice, during the spring dry season, which is the Vernal Equinox on March 21, and during the fall rainy season, which is the Autumnal Equinox and occurs on September 22 this year.
The two equinoxes are the only times during the year when the axis of the Earth is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun. During an equinox, the duration of the sun in the sky is exactly equal to the period of nighttime darkness around the world.
Some of the tourists visiting the temple waited on the edge of the moat in front of the temple, while others came to sit in the old library of Angkor Wat in front of the main temple. Yet others waited near the north and south ponds of the temple to see the view and snap photos.
The central causeway was packed with visitors trying to snap photos of the rising sun.
Some of the local visitors from Siem Reap said, while they’ve visited Angkor Wat many times before this was the first time they got up early enough to visit before 5am to watch the beauty of the sunrise over the central tower of Angkor Wat temple.
The sky was cloudless and the rising sun reflected over the pond, radiating a golden glow above the temple. Everyone admired the breathtaking sight.
Tourists visiting from the United States expressed surprise and delight at seeing the sunrise over Angkor Wat. They said that the sight of the sun rising exactly over the middle of the central tower of the temple was an amazing experience. The visitors added that the unique experience cannot be compared to any other natural event on Earth.
Minister of Tourism Sok Soken addressed the press at a conference hosted by the Club of Cambodian Journalists yesterday morning at Angkor Wat.
He said the ministry is considering how to develop the experience of visitors to Angkor Wat, as well as about how to promote tourism in Cambodia more effectively.
The minister said that people around the world know about the special sunrise at Angkor Wat during the equinox, and that the extraordinary event is a chance to build cultural ties around the world, and to share Cambodia’s cultural heritage.
He added that the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park area is under the administration of the Apsara Authority. However, there has been discussion about reviewing current ticket prices and the type of services available to visitors.
“We have to look ahead to the future in order to evaluate the cost of visiting the Angkor Park,” said the minister.
He added, “We want to advertise Angkor Wat and the services on offer here, and we know the ticket price has to be acceptable to everyone.”