Angkor Wat Price Rise Stuns Tourism Sector

Angkor Wat Price Rise Stuns Tourism Sector

While the government believes the giant increase in prices to make up for 20 years of poor governance will not affect visitor numbers, those involved in Cambodia’s tourism industry are not convinced.

Ho Vandy, secretary-general of Cambodia’s National Tourism Alliance, to the Phnom Penh Post he was “shocked by the price increase. “Why did we raise the ticket price to such a high level like this?”

Similar sentiments were echoed by Khieu Thy, president of the Angkor Tour Guide Association, who told Voice of America (VOA) Cambodia that the new ticket prices will make Cambodia less attractive to foreign tourists.

“Neighbouring countries are trying to lower their process and even give visa exemptions… while Cambodia has no attractive services, and now we are increasing the price. This further limits how competitive we are and will cause criticism from visitors,” he said.

Also joining in the criticism is Luu Meng, co-chair of the Government-Private Sector Working Group on Tourism (GPSWG) who said: “When prices go up like this it affects visitor’s feelings, so we need to show them the quality products and services they will received from the increased price,” he said. For instance, according to him, there should be a guarantee of better hygiene and cleanliness at the site.

In favour of the price hike though is Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, which oversees the Angkor Archaeological Park who told The Cambodian Daily that compared to other cultural heritage sites, like the Palais in France and the Pyramids in Egypt, “the Angkor tickets are cheaper”.

“I see it won’t affect the number of tourists who visit because… the prices are still lower than other heritage sites. And secondly, part of the increase means they will be participating in taking care of Cambodian children”, he added.

The Cambodia Tourism Industry

The Cambodia tourism industry is the country’s second largest source of hard currency after the textile industry. In 2015 tourism earned the country about $3 billion from about 4.78 million foreign visitors, equivalent to about 13 per cent of Cambodia GDP (See: Cambodia Visitor Numbers up in First Six Months)

Angkor Wat generated more than $31 million in ticket sales from foreign visitors in the first half of 2016, a 1.7 per cent increase over the same period last year. In 2015 ticket sales topped $60 million from 2.1 million foreign visitors, while in 2014 ticket sales grossed some $59.3 million from 2.05 million foreign visitors.

Aside from Angkor Wat, other popular tourist destinations in Cambodia are sites associated with the country’s grim past – the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Killing Fields at Choeung Ek –  the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the sleepy town of Battambang, the beaches in Sihanoukville, and the Bokor Hill Station in Kampot