No Festival Races Near Angkor Wat This Year

Water Festival boat races in Cambodia’s best-known tourist town, Siem Reap, were not organized this year out of concern for the canal system around Angkor Wat, a provincial official said Monday.

Kang Heng, Siem Reap’s dep­uty governor, expressed concern that water splashing onto the ancient banks of the wat’s moat from racing boats could damage the canal system.

Tourists watching races to celebrate the water festival were another worry, he said.

“People standing and watching the races could also loosen the stones along the canal….We need to protect our national heritage,” he said.

However, other tourist officials said the boat races were canceled because provincial authorities were short on funds.

“Frankly speaking, the provincial authority does not have en­ough money to hold that boat ra­cing festival,” said Kousoum Saroeuth, managing director of Angkor Tourism in Siem Reap town.

The provincial official would not comment on the town’s financial status.

Thousands of spectators—in­cluding Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh—in recent years have lined up along the moat on the west face of Ang­kor Wat to watch boat racing and performances of glittering apsara dancers.

This will be the first time in three years that the boat races have been canceled, Kousoum Saroeuth said.

Hoteliers and guest-house managers said they were not experiencing any reduction in the number of tourists because of the cancellation.

“Many people come here to see the temples…they do not just come here for the water festival,” said Chareon Chansin, the Bayon Hotel’s general manager.

This year, he said, he noted that a lot of Cambodians were coming into town from Phnom Penh.

Foreign tourists in Siem Reap are not making the trek there just for the races and festival activities, said Gilbert Mad­haven, general manager for the Grand Hotel d’Angkor.

“Judging from last year’s festival turnout most of the people attending the boat races are the Cambodians—locals from the villages or Cambodians flying in from Phnom Penh—so it does not necessarily affect our hotel business,” Madhaven said.

(Ad­ditional reporting by Mhari Saito)

 

 

 

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