Cambodia to ban tourists wearing “revealing clothes” to visit famed Angkor

PHNOM PENH, July 5 (FN) — Tourists wearing “revealing clothes” will be barred from visiting Cambodia’s famed Angkor archeological park from August 4, an official said on Tuesday.

Long Kosal, deputy chief of the communications department of the Apsara Authority, which manages the ancient site, said that tourists should wear proper clothes when they buy tickets for visiting the Angkor archeological park, otherwise ticket-sellers will not sell them the tickets.

“We will not allow any tourists wearing revealing clothes to visit the Angkor archeological park from August 4, 2016,” he told Xinhua. “Wearing revealing clothes offends Cambodian custom, tradition, and women’s dignity.”

“The rule is also to enhance the value of the Angkor archeological park, which is a sacred site for the Cambodian people,” he said.

Last week, the Apsara Authority informed relevant ministries, travel agent association, tour guide association, hotel association, tourist transport association, and tourism companies about the ban, he said.

The prohibition came after the Apsara Authority released the “code of conduct” for tourists visiting the Angkor in December last year.

The code tells tourists of the rules against wearing revealing clothes, touching carvings or sitting on fragile structures, smoking, and entering restricted areas at the temples. It also advises tourists to avoid either giving money and candy to children or taking a selfie with monks.

The code also warned that any act of looting, breaking or damaging Angkor, or exposing sex organs and nudity in public area is a crime punishable by law.

Located in northwestern Siem Reap province, Angkor archaeological park, inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1992, is the kingdom’s most popular tourist destination.

An entrance fee to the site is 20 U.S. dollars per day for a foreigner, 40 dollars for a three-day visit and 60 dollars for a week-long visit.

According to the government report, the site earned 31.2 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales to foreign tourists in the first six months of 2016.