Angkor Wat Threatened by Overtourism
Angkor Wat’s picturesque towers and stunning setting have made it an ever-increasingly popular tourist destination. Roughly four million people visit the temple each year, and those numbers are expected to grow. While this yields financial benefits, it is taking its toll on the temple. Tourists leave graffiti and garbage. Visitors have been caught posting n*de or semi-n*de among the temples to show off on social media. But worse, the increasing tourism is taking its toll on the Siem Reap water supply and soil. The Siem Reap Water Supply Authority has tapped into the groundwater to try to keep up with the water supply needs of the area’s population, although this causes complications to the ground the temple sits upon. Tourism has caused practical problems in the area around Angkor Archaeological Park.
