Angkor by ox cart

SIEM REAP   The Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA) is working with an ox cart community in Siem Reap province to offer rides for tourists in the Angkor Archeological Park.

Agence Kampuchea Presse reported it would help to support a traditional Cambodian vehicle as well as to generate income for local villagers.

Currently, there are 20 ox carts available to start the service. It costs USD7 per trip, of which USD5 will go to the driver, USD1 in management commission and USD1 to the community, the report said.

Known as the “Cow Cart Community” the group of drivers was established in 2010 by the Apsara authority through a project funded by New Zealand under the Angkor Community Heritage and Economic Advancement Project (ACHA).

According to Apsara, 2.1 million international tourists visited Angkor temples, last year, a 1.96% increase from 2014. Revenue from foreign visitor ticket sales at the Angkor Archaeological Park reached USD60 million in 2015, up 1.2% year-on-year.

China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam were the largest sources of tourists to the site.

Foreign visitors pay USD20 for a one-day pass to the temples, USD40 for three days and USD60 for a weeklong pass.

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.