The temples of Angkor: tourist influx and government intervention
from Manon de Dianous
The temples of Angkor Wat
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old city of Angkor is home to huge religious buildings and a variety of statues reflecting the accumulation of a cultural heritage rooted in the memories of the Cambodian people. These Buddhist temples, immensely respected by local people, have become the target of millions of tourists from all over the world. Angkor Wat remains the best-preserved historic site of the ancient Khmer Empire, though damaged by the time and violence of past civil wars (Gray, 2011). This place is today confronted with an unprecedented tourist boom, harmful to its preservation. Pollution, the accumulation of waste, the degradation of engravings and even their looting are the major concern of local and international authorities, working for the conservation of this constantly threatened heritage. A major cause of socio-environmental damage felt by local populations, the tourist presence in Angkor, however, strongly contributes to the economic growth of the country. What makes it possible to understand the stalemate in which the government is at the level of its tourism policy?
A massive arrival of tourists
Group of tourists taking a break in front of a temple in the city of Angkor
In 2016, Cambodia welcomed just over 5 million international tourists, seventeen times more than in 1998 (Ministry of Tourism, 2016). This tourism boom is mainly due to the development of means of transport facilitating the mobility of people around the world. China and Vietnam, by their geographical proximity, are responsible for 35.7% of Cambodia's tourist migration (Ministry of Tourism, 2016). In 2016, more than 2 million tourists came to admire the religious and cultural richness of the Angkor site, an increase of 3.8% over the previous year (Ministry of tourism, 2016). These figures are essential to the contextualization of this migratory phenomenon, always in full growth, causing various negative externalities, difficult to control.
A complicated surveillance but ...
Important traffic on the road of the city of Angkor
Indeed, the historic city of Angkor is threatened by the surplus of tourists making it difficult to monitor their actions. Since 1995, the APSARA National Authority, established for the protection and promotion of Cambodian cultural heritage, has been following visitors closely to prevent any form of non-compliance at this place of worship. Surveillance cameras were installed in addition to the authorities present on the spot because it turns out that many tourists throw their waste in the nature or rely on the statues making them even more fragile. Some even engrave their names on these hitherto sacred stones. In addition, a strong tourist presence goes hand in hand with a high pollution rate generated by the influx of road traffic (motorcycles, tourist buses, cars ...), a source of soil fragility. The abundant water consumption to make the site more attractive is also a major problem when we know that a large part of the Cambodian population does not have access to drinking water.
Degradation of Buddhist heritage in Angkor
... solutions in reflection: consider the needs of the premises
Solutions have therefore been put in place by the international committee for the conservation and sustainable development of the Angkor site (CIC Angkor), such as the management of visitor flows, the momentary closure of certain parts of the site, the development of new circuits or regulation by prices (UNESCO, 2013). Managing the impact of the number of tourists is not easy because it happens to be one of the most dynamic sectors of the Cambodian economy. Indeed, tourism contributes 15% of the national GDP and employs nearly 13% of the active population, which is not negligible (France Diplomatie, 2016). They work in hundreds of luxury hotels, restaurants and other facilities created to attract travelers. "Tourism is both an economic necessity and the greatest threat to the longevity of Angkor" (UNESCO), it is therefore necessary to find a "comprehensive solution to minimize the threat and improve the long-term viability of Angkor as a destination and as a place of life for the people "(UNESCO). Nevertheless, the local populations are taken by this new dynamic that modifies their living conditions. Cited to be a place of spiritual rest, the city of Angkor has become a tourist factory where it becomes almost impossible to come to pray without being jostled by a thirsty crowd of memories. The traditional religious rites of the population are thus shaken by cultural and ethical shock generated by foreigners.
Buddhist statues damaged by time
"We must therefore seek, at the limit of the tourism industry sometimes, the solutions, most often pragmatic, which will allow the reception of the public and the conservation of the original monuments" (Boyer, 2000). But what do we mean by conservation? Is it the reconstruction of these ruins so that once embellished they meet the expectations of tourists? Or is it respect for a religious history that has marked the memory of the Khmer people? Because although there are international committees for the protection of this heritage, tourism remains a "necessary evil" where the economy takes the majority over the environment and the social, to the detriment of local populations (Hubert, 2013) .