Siem Reap plans viewing tower

SIEM REAP Siem Reap authorities plan to build an observation tower to give visitors a panoramic view of Tonle Sap river and its rice plains.

Khmer Times quoted the province governor, Khin Song, saying the plan had already gained government approval, but the provincial authority would seek foreign investment for the project.

“The tower will be a new attraction for tourists offering views of rice fields, ancient temples, and the Tonle Sap River,” he said.

However, he did not reveal the cost, or the exact date of construction, but said work could begin sometime next year once a foreign investor had been sourced.

Not everyone likes the idea. There are critics who said they feared authorities would build a concrete monstrosity that would become an eyesore, rather than an asset  for the heritage town,

Listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, Angkor Wat Historical Park was inscribed 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.

Siem Reap welcomed 1,734,791 international visitors for the first 10 months of the year, a 2% increase from 1,701,134 visits, during the same period in 2015, according to Ministry of Tourism’s Statistics and Tourism Information Department’s data.