Preah Vihear Temple Complex
Number of tourists to Preah Vihear Temple drops
PHNOM PENH - The number of visitors to the Preah Vihear Temple complex dropped by a third in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, according to a local media report on Monday.
The decrease was a reaction to the ongoing dispute with Thailand over ownership of the land surrounding the World Heritage site, Kong Vibol, director of Preah Vihear province's tourism department, told the Phnom Penh Post.
The official also blamed a general downturn in tourism arrivals, bad weather and lingering fears of influenza A/H1N1.
Only 12,214 people visited the temple complex in last quarter, down 33.93 percent from 18,487 visitors over the same period a year earlier, he was quoted by the report as saying.
The number of foreign visitors dropped 44.6 percent to 426, and the number of domestic tourists went down 34.04 percent to 11,788, Tourism Department figures showed.
Over the period, 47,682 people visited the province, including 40,857 from other parts of Cambodia, down 32.78 percent year-on-year, and 6,825 foreign visitors, down 89.17 percent, the Post reported.
Kong Vibol said he expected a recovery in the last quarter as the peak season begins and the global economy continues to show signs of recovery. Dissipating border tensions would also help, he added.
The Post said that Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in early September that Cambodian troops at the temple would be withdrawn following a bilateral agreement that effectively ended the 13-month standoff over the temple.
Om Phirom, chief of the temple's Heritage Police, said at the time the drawdown in troops led to a surge in tourist numbers, with around 200 Cambodian and 50 foreign tourists daily.
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