Source: Associated Press
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, December 29, 2002: Until recently, Cambodia was happy to let the temples of Angkor exist as a beacon of Khmer pride, rising from a jungle canopy like jewels dotting a green silk scarf. Now the ancient Buddhist and Hindu monuments have become the pillars of Cambodia’s nascent tourism industry, and officials are counting on them to lift the country out of a downward economic spiral. But Cambodia’s culture leaders warn that the very survival of the 9th-14th century temples may be in jeopardy as planeloads of invasive tourists trample through the hallowed corridors, climb the stone steps to the shrines and brush grubby fingers on the magnificent bas reliefs of Gods and Goddesses. The concerns are typical of the debate going on at ancient monuments around the world — from the Pyramids of Egypt to the Taj Mahal in India — on how to balance the hunger for tourism dollars with the need to protect the stunning legacies for future generations. The Cambodian government has vowed it will do everything to protect the 40 or so sacred structures, located on the outskirts of the northern town of Siem Reap. Some 250,000 foreign tourists visited the temples in 2001, up from 60,000 in 1999, according to government figures. The government’s goal is to host 1 million annually by 2010. Tens of thousands of Cambodians also visit each year. Until five years ago, a visitor to Angkor could be virtually alone while watching the sunset from Phnom Bakeng, a 70-meter (230- feet) hill between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. Today, the peak is elbow to elbow with people at dusk and its base is a quagmire of honking tour buses, cars and motorbikes jostling for parking space that doesn’t exist. “It’s a view pollution,” Teneishvili, the UNESCO official, said. There are varying figures for income generated by tourism. Estimates range from US$200 million to $450 million in 2001, making tourism a major engine driving the economy that largely depends on foreign money. “Angkor can help the whole country by bringing people with money to Cambodia,” said Chap Nhalyvudh, the governor of Siem Reap province, noting how tourism kick-started neighboring Thailand’s economy 40 years ago.