Tourism in Southeast Asia has grown significantly over the last several years, and with this growth, there has been a need for more things to be able to make this possible, such as roads, airports, and trains. As discussed by Karla Cripps in an article entitled “Cambodia’s Biggest and Newest Airport Opens in Siem Reap, the Gateway to UNESCO-Listed Angkor”, she goes on to tell us about how a new airport has opened after about three years of construction only a short distance away from the extremely popular and historically significant tourism site of Angkor Wat. This new airport cost over $1 billion and was “funded by China as a part of its Belt and Road Initiative.” This airport was designed to replace the old one (SEP) that was there before and has been built to hold over 2 million more people a year, which is a significant number in terms of Cambodian tourism and visitation. This new airport can also accommodate larger planes, in addition to the large quantities of people, which is important for bringing back and forth cargo. So far in 2023, Cambodia has seen an increase of over 250% in its tourism industry within the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Angkor Wat receiving a majority of this tourism like it has not seen for several years. 

This new airport is extremely important not only for the future of Cambodian tourism, but also relates back to the rest of Southeast Asia. Because there is a newer and more equipped location that can handle all of the tourism that Cambodia is hoping to see in the coming years, many more people will now be able to consider this location in addition to the other areas of Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Thailand, in close proximity. Southeast Asia, over the last several years, has grown exponentially and with this growth, it is important to implement new places like this airport that can help support it. Not only is this important for the tourism of Southeast Asia and Cambodia in particular, but it is also culturally important in a way. Because of the proximity to Angkor Wat, more people who are not from this area and require a plane ride to get there are able to go and visit and have more of an appreciation for Cambodian history and culture. Angkor Wat is a very important site with a rich history and is embedded within Cambodian culture, and by exposing more people to this area increases the world’s knowledge of Southeast Asian culture. This new airport is great for expansion of Southeast Asian tourism and will be able to help the world become more culturally accustomed to it as well as be more aware of the world’s history. 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/cambodia-siem-reap-airport-angkor-wat/index.html