Security officers at the forest temple complex say the UNESCO listing has even brought in wedding parties to take photos with the temples as a backdrop. One guard said he had worked at Sambor Prei Kuk for more than 20 years and had never seen so many tourists in such a short space of time.
Cambodia staged an official party on Monday at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium to celebrate the addition of the country’s third site to the UNESCO list. Prime-minister Hun Sen presided as fireworks lit up the night sky on the auspicious day.
Sambor Prei Kuk features about 50 reasonably well preserved temples and shrines which historians say pre-date the Angkor Empire. 12GO ASIA notes that Sambor Prei Kuk is 200kms north of Phnom Penh and just off the main route north to Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat temples.
Tourist numbers surge at new Cambodia UNESCO World Heritage Site
News in Asia
Municipal authorities in Cambodia’s Kompong Thom Province say the recent UNESCO designation of a temple complex has led to a surge in visitor numbers. UNESCO added the province’s temples of Sambor Prei Kuk to the World Heritage Site list on 8 July.