Phnom Penh, Sep 4 (IANS): Cambodia's famed Angkor Archeological Park welcomed nearly half a million foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2023, the state-owned Angkor Enterprise said in a statement on Monday.

The statement said 498,513 international visitors had traveled to Angkor from January to August, representing a significant rise of 350.8 per cent from 110,570 in the same period last year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ancient site made $23.09 million in revenue from ticket sales during the eight-month period, up 420 per cent from $4.44 million, it added.

In August, the site welcomed 59,148 foreigners, earning 2.77 million dollars from ticket sales, according to the statement.

Ministry of Tourism's Secretary of State Top Sopheak attributed the sharp growth to no travel restrictions in the post-Covid pandemic era.

"We hope that more foreign tourists will come to Cambodia, especially to Angkor, in coming years as many airlines have resumed their flights to the kingdom," he told Xinhua.

Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.