Transparency of Angkor ticket sales raised in parliament

The Angkor Archaeological Park receives more than a million tourists a year collecting millions in ticket sales, but where the money goes is murky – this was raised at the Cambodian parliament last week.

Parliament questions Angkor revenue
Phnom Penh Post, 20 November 2014

CNRP Wants Angkor Wat Ticketing Under Tourism Ministry
Cambodia Daily, 20 November 2014

In a three-hour meeting yesterday, lawmakers grilled Minister of Tourism Thong Kong about the lack of transparency surrounding ticket sales to the Angkor Archaeological Park and the amount shared with Cambodia’s national budget.

About 30 parliamentarians and senior members of the ministry met at the National Assembly at the request of Nhem Ponharith, an opposition MP who chairs the Assembly’s commission of education, religious affairs, culture and tourism.

“We spend a lot of money to promote the tourism industry,” Ponharith told reporters after the meeting yesterday. “We want income from the tourism industry to go into the national budget properly for the interest of national development.

“We should not allow a private company to earn free benefits from selling tickets to tourists at Angkor Wat.”

Full story here and here.