A viral trend on TikTok involving the re-enactment of the popular mobile game Temple Run has brought tourists to Cambodia.
According to The Phnom Penh Post, the TikTok trend has been beneficial for the tourism industry in Cambodia, with many locals rejoicing over the boost that the trend has brought to the country.
Developed by Imangi Studios in 2011, Temple Run is an endless runner game with temple ruins as its backdrop. Players have to dodge obstacles and jump over broken bridges as they escape from demonic monkeys hot on their tails.
Against this setting, the historic temples in Cambodia including Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm have become the most popular spots to shoot the Temple Run re-enactment trend.
Many content creators have jumped on the bandwagon.
One such creator is @emiliabfantoni, whose video has garnered more than 1.2 million views at the time of writing.
The video, captioned “Temple Run in real life in Angkor Wat”, shows a person running through the walkways of the historic site. The thrilling background music of the game is layered in the video.
Even the grunts of the Temple Run explorer as they jump over obstacles and the sounds of collecting coins are inserted in the many clips following this viral trend.
The TikTok trend has been beneficial to Cambodia’s tourism industry, which has seen an uptick in exposure of its touristic sites to international visitors, according to the Phnom Penh Post.
Locals have received this exposure warmly, seeing the social media exposure as a promotion of their country and their historical site.
Source: @emiliabfantoni on TikTok
In one of the re-enactment videos that has garnered over 1.6 million views on TikTok, many Cambodians thanked the creator for coming to their country.
Source: @chiaracontino_ on TikTok
As these historical sites have monumental cultural and religious significance to the locals, some content creators have also shown themselves paying respect at the end of their Temple Run videos.
Source: @unemployedginge on TikTok
Comments have also expressed their gratitude towards this display of respect.
While many content creators have gone to take Temple Run videos at various historical sites in Cambodia, there are currently no official Temple Run events at these sites.
It is also unclear whether this trend has violated any of the sites’ visitation policies.
Also read: 8-metre seahorse statue in Cambodia bears striking resemblance to Merlion
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Featured image adapted from chiaracontino_, unemployedginge, and emiliabfantoni on TikTok.
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