The official presentation to the International Coordinating Committee (ICC), which is scheduled for March 2022 in Siem Reap, is the next exciting step. Initially scheduled for September 2021, this presentation has been postponed several times due to the pandemic, and the difficulty of traveling for the many international experts attending.

At the same time, the project continues to grow with the involvement of a third and new partner on the financial side, as the majority investor.

With Immersive Angkor, Confluences originally partnered with French company Iconem, which specialises in the digitisation of endangered cultural heritage sites in 3D. Iconem is already working on several projects with the Apsara Authority, including a training programme for the park’s technical teams in the use of the unmanned aerial vehicle and digital surveying.

Now, with this third partner on board, the project is gaining momentum. The latter is a major French theme park and entertainment developer with a strong appetite for the Asian and ASEAN market, which already has a number of projects in China lined up.

While the health situation has delayed the progress of this project, it has also allowed for more work on the finer details and confirmed the desire of each of the parties involved to bring to fruition, in the best possible way, the creation of this first permanent virtual museum dedicated to Khmer culture and the Angkor temples.

Initially announced for the end of 2021, the launch of the museum has been postponed to the second half of 2022 in order to be ready for the resumption of regional and international tourism. Further announcements regarding this project, including its funding, are expected in the near future.

The project is attracting public interest and was the subject of a new article in the Khmer Times on 6 January, 2022.

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