Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister His Excellency Dr. Sok
An on Thursday welcomed the Heritage Management Framework project in Siemreap,
the home of Angkor, as more tourists are flocking to visit the World Heritage
Site.
“The Apsara
Authority is happy to work on that project and we give high consideration to
it,” said His Excellency Dr. Sok An, who is Minister in Charge of the Office of
the Council of Ministers as well as Chairman of APSARA National Authority, in
discussion with the three partners –the APSARA National Authority, UNESCO and
the Australian government. His Excellency Sou Phirim, governor of Siemreap
province and representatives from the Ministry of Tourism were also on hand.
APSARA, the
National Authority for Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of
Siemreap, has been operating since 1995.
The
Australian Ambassador, Her Excellency Penny Richards, who also attended the
meeting, said that the project is important for Australia in the sense that
Canberra wants to see Cambodia maintains sustainable development in Siemreap in
the face of the 27 percent per annum rise in the number of tourists visiting
Angkor.
The
representative of the United Nations for Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), Madame Anne Lemaistre said that Cambodia’s significant
increase in tourist numbers is a potential benefit for the country, but at the
same time “this requires a well managed development” at Angkor. The UNESCO
Heritage Management Framework project includes a risk map of structural,
monumental, environmental and socio-cultural risks, as well as a tourism
management plan, protecting the tourist sites from damages, capacity building for
Apsara Authority, especially training for its technical committee, and the
implementation of pilot projects.
His
Excellency Dr. Sok An said that tourist guides should be trained by the Apsara
Authority to improve their understanding of Khmer culture and history so as to
avoid misleading the tourists. Such training should be now being implemented
given the fact that a Royal Government’s decree has already empowered Apsara
Authority to do so, he said.
The meeting
discussed greater collaboration between the Apsara Authority and the private
sector including through electronic communication. It also talked about the
strong need to involve the local community, ensuring that they could benefit
from tourism which is a contributory factor to poverty alleviation through
various activities including growing vegetables and food, which can support the
growing tourism industry in the province.
Madam
Ambassador Richards also said that a joint forum to be held next month—which
will involve UNESCO, the APSARA Authority, the Ministry of Tourism, Siemreap
provincial government, local community, tour agencies, and tour operators, and
hotels -- will discuss appropriate measures to address the issues.
His
Excellency Dr. Sok An said that Apsara Authority had conducted several training
sessions on the risk map. He stressed, but at the same time the concerned
parties of the projects should take the nature, culture and local community
into account. He cited a good model of cooperation between the local community
and German-fund Green Belt Project that has greatly benefited the villagers who
provides local products supporting the tourism industry in Siemreap.
His
Excellency Sok An said that the Royal Government of Cambodia has a master plan
that relieves population pressure on Angkor Archaeological Park by offering
inhabitants the choice to move from the protected area to the new Run Ta-Ek
Eco-Village, where they have been provided with land and housing along with
some assistance so that they can make their living and join hands in preserving
the heritage sites and maintaining a sustainable development.