Spokesperson Koy Kuong addressed reporters following a conference between the Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers in Phnom Penh. Mr Kuong said the new roads together with several new luxury hotels had enticed increasing numbers of tourists into including the 11th century temple on their itineraries.
Figures released by the country’s tourism authorities show the number of people visiting Preah Vihear has risen more than 50 per cent over the past year. Almost 7,000 of the 63,000 tourists were foreigners.
The hilltop temple is on the Cambodian side of the common border. Before the roads were built the easiest means of getting to the temple was on the Thai side of the border. Following a series of border clashes in 2009, Cambodia closed off the Thai gateway.
Preah Vihear Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 2009. It is around 200kms by road from Siem Reap and the legendary Khmer ruins of Angkor Wat. In contrast, Preah Vihear is only half that distance from the Thai city of Ubon Ratchathani.
Iconic border temple stays closed to Thais
News in Asia
Cambodia’s government has stated that it deems a gateway to the landmark Preah Vihear Temple from Thailand is not needed. A spokesperson for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry told media sources that the improvement in access roads to the border temple on the Cambodian side had rendered an entry point from the Thai side as superfluous.