Challenges for Cultural Tourism & Sustainability of the World Heritage Site of Angkor, Cambodia

Abstract Cambodia, a culturally significant country in South-East Asia draws the attention of several tourists for its ancient culture and heritage. It is well-known for the ancient civilization of Khmer centered in Angkor. As a result, Angkor has become a one-of-a-kind symbol of this ancient civilisation and the Cambodian country as a whole. In the year 1992 Angkor Archaeological Park, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, became a World Heritage Site. It was included on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The APSARA National Authority, monitored by the ICC-Angkor, took great initiatives in conserving the sites. These efforts finally lead to the removal of the property from the World Heritage List in danger in 2004. Since then, Angkor and Siem reap have become a prime focus for cultural tourism. The location attracts a large number of tourists from all around the world. This has resulted in more visitor traffic than the region's cultural and physical infrastructure can sustain. Thus, Angkor is seeing some economic and social progress, as well as a slew of serious challenges that have cropped up as a consequence of the development process. Cultural tourism has on one hand given a thrust for financial, social and economic development while on the other has brought about a threat for sustainability and heritage management in the region. This paper aims to highlight the boons of cultural tourism and the major threats it poses for sustainable development and heritage management principles of the ancient sites of Angkor. The study encompasses the positive effects and possible threats of cultural tourism in Angkor.