Cambodia's water festival attracts over 6.2 million visitors

Phnom Penh, Nov 17 : Cambodia's three-day traditional Water Festival attracted more than 6.2 million spectators, the Ministry of Tourism said on Sunday.

Celebrated from Thursday to Saturday, the festival was one of the most joyful festivals in the Southeast Asian country. On the occasion, people from across the country flocked to the capital's riverfront to enjoy boat races, the festival's centerpiece.

The festival received an estimated 6.2 million local visitors and 52,498 foreign tourists during the three-day festival, the ministry said.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Sunday that the Water Festival was conducted smoothly and joyfully while preserving the kingdom's unique tradition and culture, delighting both domestic and foreign tourists.

"This success was made possible thanks to the contributions from all relevant working groups, especially all kinds of security forces who had dedicated their time and physical energy to security, safety and public order for all festival guests," he said in a text posted on social media.

A total of 348 boats with about 22,000 oarsmen took part in the annual regatta, which saw the participants racing their boats along a 1.7-km stretch of the Tonle Sap River, Xinhua news agency reported.

The festival is to honor the strength of the powerful Khmer marine forces during the ancient Khmer Empire in the late 11th century, and also mark the end of annual rainy season and the unique reversal flow of the Tonle Sap River that connects the Tonle Sap Lake with the Mekong River.