My Son Sanctuary facing pressure from increased visitor numbers

In the last 12 years visitors to the My Son Sanctuary have increased tenfold, adding a tremendous strain from the increased tourist numbers. The pressure is compounded by the fact that most tourists only visit the site in the morning, concentrating the rate of deterioration. I visited the My Son Sanctuary last year, and you can read about it here.

Pressure on My Son holy land
VietnamNet, 09 March 2012

As one of the two world cultural heritage sites in the central province of Quang Nam, My Son has become a destination of local and international tourists.

Besides the increasing of visitors, the pressure on this heritage is also on the rise. Keeping balance between tourism development and preservation is a big problem for My Son authorities.

The number of tourists to My Son has soared, from only 27,104 visitors in 1999, the year My Son was recognized as a world heritage, to 209,032 in 2011. Revenue from entrance tickets last year was nearly VND11 billion ($500,000). At present, the relic welcomes 500-700 visitors a day on average, which rises to 1,200-1,500 at weekend.

Full story here.