7th Ultra-Trail Angkor 2024 to promote tourism

Friday, November 10, 2023

The Kingdom’s tourism industry will use next year’s 7^th Ultra-Trail Angkor 2024 as an opportunity to promote the sector.

Sporting officials confident the 100km race will attract runners from a number of countries.

Senior Minister Thong Khon, head of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), held a November 7 press conference.

It is to detail the January event’s possible contribution to an increase in tourism.

He said the Angkor ultra event is the only one of its kind fit for display in the Kingdom. It first happened in 2016.

Organised in collaboration with Edouard George, president of Phoenix Voyages, it has promoted Cambodia to the world, he added.

It boosted informal economic development and promoted the attractive environment of the Angkor Archaeological Park and other heritage sites.

Current figures are approximately 30 per cent of the ones recorded in 2019. Roughly 1,800 to 2,000 visitors arrived daily on 18 flights.

In 2019, 7,000 to 10,000 landed in Siem Reap daily, with as many as 40 flights scheduled.

Khon, also chair of the Siem Reap-Angkor Tourism Management and Development Commission, explained that the ultra event was an excellent chance to push the province and its temples as an attractive tourist destination.

Phoenix president George pointed out that while the 2016 event drew 232 runners from 26 countries. This year’s post-pandemic 2023 event saw 1,200 entrants from 44 nations.

The 7th Ultra-Trail Angkor will be held on January 27. Competitors can test themselves over a range of distances, including 100km, 64km, 42km, 32km, 18km and 8km.

Registrations are open until January 15 next year, and with almost 1,000 runners already signed up, Khon expected to have 2,000 or more entrants by the time the first starting gun is fire.

Vath Chamroeun, NOCC secretary-general, explained that the organising committee would work with the provincial authorities to ensure that medical facilities and staff are on hand for 24 hours during the event, especially for the 100km entrants, who will keep running throughout the night.

Next year’s event will be even more spectacular, as they have introduced new environmental protections in the Angkor area that will make it even greener and more attractive.

The natural beauty of the setting will fill the runners with positive emotions and help them keep going, even when they feel they have run out of gas, he said.

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