MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - Here's some good news for avid travelers who have been wanting to visit the world-famous Angkor Wat, but are turned off by the thought of connecting flights and long travel hours by land.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) recently approved direct flights from the Philippines to Cambodia, known for one of the most important archeological sites in Southeast Asia.

CAB granted Cebu Pacific five frequencies for the Manila-Cambodia route, while ZestAir got two frequencies.

Airphil Express, the budget carrier of Philippine Airlines, and AirAsia Philippines Inc. each received seven frequencies for the Clark-Cambodia route. One frequency is equivalent to a once-a-week flight.

Cebu Pacific has not yet set a timetable for the new route. "But we will make announcements at the appropriate time," its vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said in a text message to abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Previously, Filipino travelers had to go to major Southeast Asian cities -- Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore -- to get flights to Siem Reap, the gateway to Cambodia's Angkor.

A UNESCO world heritage site, Angkor is a region in Cambodia where over a thousand temples in ruins can be found. One of these temples is the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument.

A bit of trivia: Angkor Wat was used as the backdrop for some of the scenes of action movie Tomb Raider in 2001. Tomb Raider starred Angelina Jolie as video game heroine Lara Croft

source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/12/28/11/angkor-wat-now-just-flight-away-philippines