Angkor guides lose income

SIEM REAP Angkor Tour Guide Association has demanded government action to curtail international tour guides who are working at the world heritage site illegally.

Phnom Penh Post quoted a 2009 sub-decree that states all tours arranged by international travel firms must hire Cambodian guides trained by Ministry of Tourism.

However, there is plenty of evidence that foreign tour guides are competing with local guides. Some companies claim they cannot use local guides because they are not proficient in certain foreign languages such as Korean, Japanese and Chinese.

However, by law they are supposed to hire local guides at the World Heritage site with their own guides acting as tour leaders.

The association president, Khiev Thy, said there was a growing number of Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese guides who ignore the law.

“They violate the law as they do have licenses…we are worried [they] do not clearly understand Cambodian history, and it impacts on Cambodian guides’ ability to earn a living.”

At least 100 guides are unemployed, he cited adding that groups spend an average of USD30 to USD50 per day when they hire local guides.

Foreign visits to the World Heritage site rose 4.63% to 2.19 million last year. The top source markets were China, South Korea and the United States.

Revenue from ticket sales reached a record USD62.5 million in 2016, representing a solid increase of 4.21% over 2015. Cambodians do not pay the entrance fee.

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

New entrance fees are due to take effect 1 February. The new fees are: one-day pass USD37, three-day pass USD62, and seven-day pass USD72.

The Angkor Archeological Park is the top tourist attraction in Cambodia, considerably ahead of the coastal resorts in and around Sihanoukville and ecotourism sites in the northeast part of the country.

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.