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by Oliver Smith, The Daily Telegraph, August 05, 2016
Visitors to Angkor Wat will be asked to pay almost twice as much for admission from February, the Cambodian government has said.
The price of a single-day ticket to the sprawling temple complex will rise from $20 (£15) to $37 (£28), a three-day pass from $40 (£31) to $62 (£48) and a seven-day ticket from $60 (£46) to $72 (£55). No explanation was given for the increase.
The government added that $2 from each ticket sold would be donated to the Kantha Bopha Foundation, a Swiss-run children’s hospital that offers free medical treatment.
The announcement of a price hike at the site comes just a day after the introduction of strict new dress codes that compel visitors to cover their knees and shoulders while exploring the ruins.
Around 2.1 million tourists visited the site last year
The new rules were prompted by last year’s spate of nude photography at the Unesco-listed attraction which caused outrage across Cambodia .
“Wearing revealing clothes disrespects the temple’s sanctity,” said Long Kosal, a spokesman for Apsara Authority, which manages the site, last month. “We will not allow [tourists] to buy a temple pass if they wear revealing clothes.”
Authorities consider inappropriate clothing to be anything “too short – so they reveal buttocks – or not wearing bras, or T-shirts that show the back and upper body,” added Kosal.
In January last year, a Chinese model enraged local people by posing topless amid the ruins, and three French men were arrested for posing naked at Banteay Kdei temple, one of the site’s main draws. Two American sisters were also arrested for “taking naked photographs of their bottoms” in February 2015.
Around 2.1 million people visited Angkor Wat, the greatest legacy of the Khmer Empire, which dominated the region until its decline in the 15th century, in 2015.
Follow this link to read our expert guide to visiting the attraction.
This article was written by Oliver Smith from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
