Angkor’s pot of gold

SIEM REAP  The Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA) reports 2.1 million international tourists visited Angkor temples, last year, a 1.96% increase from 2014.
Khmer Times quoted the authority spokeswoman, Chau Sun Kerya, saying revenue from foreign visitor ticket sales at the Angkor Archaeological Park reached USD60 million in 2015, up 1.2% year-on-year.
In December alone, the heritage site received 222,581 visitors, generating a revenue of USD6.5 million.
inside no 4China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam are the largest sources of tourists to the site, the spokeswomen said.
Foreign visitors pay USD20 for a one-day pass to the temples, USD40 for three days and USD60 for a weeklong pass.
However, APSARA fails to provide information on how much of the USD60 million supports communities in Siem Reap, or what proportion is channeled back into the upkeep and preservation of the Angkor park.
Starting on 1 January this year, Cambodian government officially took over ticket sales at the Angkor Archeological Park from Sokimex Group, a private company that was contracted to collect the fees.
The government terminated the contract with Sokimex Group, 6 November, last year, after accusations by opposition politicians claimed the contract was not in the best interests of the nation. The group received a concession to manage the temple complex in April 1999. The company runs a nation-wide grid of fuel stations, hotels and resort-style real estate. It is owned by tycoon Sok Kong.
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