Cambodia's Siem Reap gets $150m makeover -- now it needs visitors

As tourists trickle back, nation needs new image to compete in region, experts say

SIEM REAP -- The Cambodian city of Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor Wat, has undergone a $150 million infrastructure makeover that officials hope will help the tourism hub recover after two years without foreign visitors. Completed in January, the 38 new roads, flanked by level footpaths and skirted by freshly painted bicycle lanes, stand out when compared to many of the country's urban spaces, which largely lack separated spaces for pedestrians and cyclists.

The revamp is part of the 2021-2035 Siem Reap Master Plan, which aims to boost international visitors to the city to 7.5 million by 2035, create 940,000 jobs and generate an additional $6 billion in revenue. The plan, which has yet to be publicly released in full, includes the construction of a new city center around a new airport, among other projects.

Analysts see the recent upgrades as an important first step to reviving the tourism sector, which before the pandemic accounted for about 20% of the country's real gross domestic product. But refurbishing roads alone, they say, will not be enough to guarantee the future of an industry that was already showing signs of decline before COVID-19 brought it to its knees.

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