“We Missed Celebrating It”: New Year Crowds Exceed Expectations

Millions traveled around the country this New Year holiday as provincial officials and hospitality workers spoke of being surprised by larger-than-expected crowds returning for the first time in three years. Official Tourism Ministry statistics recorded 5.2 million local and foreign tourists just from Wednesday through Saturday. Battambang had the highest visitor count at over 653,000, trailed by Kampong Cham’s 541,000 and Siem Reap’s 455,000.

At the Grand Bayon Siem Reap Hotel, receptionist Srey Leav said the hotel was flooded by guests — to the point that the electrical system was pressured in a way it hadn’t been since Covid-19. “There were so many guests,” Leav said, adding that most visitors had been from Phnom Penh. “There seemed to be a disturbance to some electronic devices.”

The city prepared major Sangkran celebrations to be held over five days, including concerts, dance performances, boat rides and markets. On the city’s streets, residents and visitors were seen spraying water at each other amid the festivities. Meng Kunthy, whose family owns the Bayon Modern Residence hotel, said the holiday period was the busiest since Covid-19 crippled the industry.

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