Slight increase in Angkor visits

SIEM REAP The Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA) reports 1.87 million international tourists visited Angkor temples, January to November, a 2.2% increase compared to the same period last year.
Khmer Times reported ticket sales to foreign tourists at the Angkor Wat Temple complex reached USD53.5 million in the first 11 months of this year, up 1.15% year-on-year.
Apsara Authority spokeswoman, Chau Sun Kerya, was quoted saying the slight increase in revenue was mainly the result of visitors switching from three-day or weeklong tickets to single-day tickets, which cost less.
inside no 2It might suggest also that visitors are prepared to spend less time exploring the historical park despite the high cost of getting to Siem Reap in the first place.
The cost of the entrance ticket is the least expensive item on the itinerary when compared to air fares, hotels and land travel costs factored in by tour operators.
Or the demographics of the visitors has change?. There are fewer Europeans interested in soaking up the culture and art of the historical park over two to three days and more Asian visitors on short break holidays with just a day to spare for the ancient temples.
Foreign visitors pay USD20 for a one-day pass to the temples, USD40 for three days and USD60 for a weeklong pass. There are no entrance fees for Cambodian nationals.
Siem Reap tourism department deputy director, Chheuy Chhorn, said the majority of foreign tourists this year are from other Asian countries, mainly Vietnam, China, South Korea and Thailand.
Cambodia terminated the contract for ticket sales at Angkor temples with Sokimex Group, 6 November. The group received a concession to manage the temple complex in April 1999.
The change in fee management will come into effect early next year. An inter-ministerial commission has been set up to manage revenue from ticket sales to the iconic temples to benefit the economy and develop infrastructure within the park.
The commission comprises officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Apsara Authority, General Department of National Treasury, Ministry of Culture, General Department of State Property and Non Tax Revenue and Council Ministers.
It was officially formed earlier this month and is transferring management of ticket sales from Sokimex Group to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which is the secretariat of the newly formed commission, the report said.
The Angkor Archeological Park is the main tourist attraction in Cambodia, well ahead of coastal areas and the ecotourism sites in the northeastern part of the country.
The park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992 located in Siem Reap province, which lies 315 km northwest of capital Phnom Penh.

sourced:ttrweekly.com