Angkor bans scanty clothes

SIEM REAP Tourists wearing scanty clothing or untidy dress could be barred from visiting Cambodia’s famed Angkor archeological park starting next month.

Khmer Times quoted Aspara Authority, the public organisation tasked with managing the UNESCO World Heritage site, saying it would introduce a ban on untidy and inappropriate dress to “protect” Cambodian culture.

The ban targets tourists who strip down almost to their underwear to beat the heat when visiting the temple sites.

Inappropriate dress has been identified as wearing clothes that have bare shoulders, very short shorts and clothing that would be allowed on the beach but not at a temple site.

The ban covers everyone, both Khmer people and foreigners, the report said.

The Angkor Visitor Code of Conduct, that urges visitors to respect Angkor by refraining from wearing revealing clothing, has curbed anti-social behaviour at the park, according to Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal.

The code was officially launched in December, last year, to alert tourists on do’s and don’ts, while visiting the UNESCO’s World Heritage site and one of the items warns tourists not to dress down or wear scanty clothing.

According to the document, touching carvings, sitting on fragile structures, leaning on temple structures, moving archaeological artifacts and writing graffiti as well as climbing on loose stones, wearing scanty clothes, smoking, urinating in temple grounds and making loud noise are all prohibited.

Relevant ministries, the travel agent association, tour guide association, hotel association, tourist transport association and tourism operators around the country have been made aware of the ban.

For the first six months of the year, the park welcomed 1,092,055 international tourists slightly improving 0.7% over the same period, last year. Revenue generated USD31.27 million from ticket sales, up 1.7%

The largest source markets for tourists are China, South Korea, and Japan.

The entrance fee to the Angkor Historical Park costs USD20 a day (foreigners only), USD40 for a three-day visit and USD60 for a week-long visit.

The park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992 and is now the country’s largest cultural tourist destination. It is located in Siem Reap province, some 315 km northwest of capital Phnom Penh.