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

Pub Street in Siem Reap was a pre-pandemic hot spot for backpackers before the COVID-19 pandemic all but shut off international travel. (Photo by Bopha Phorn)

SHAUN TURTON, Contributing writer

March 6, 2022 11:18 JST

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.