Angkor Wat shops and stalls demolished for tourism infrastructure

[geovalin]

The Apsara National Authority (ANA), in cooperation with the Siem Reap provincial Department of Tourism, has worked with residents to remove 10 stalls and restaurants near the Angkor Wat temple during the first six months of this year.

 

The ANA plans to demolish or remove all constructions in the Angkor Wat temple area by the end of the year, said ANA spokesman Long Kosal.

 

Kosal said restaurant owners had agreed to remove the 10 constructions and stalls in the area and handed the locations to the ANA to develop tourism infrastructure.

 

read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/angkor-wat-shops-and-stalls-demolished-tourism-infrastructure

[Kerryd]

By more "tourism infrastructure" they probably mean "parking lots for tour buses".

Man were there a lot of them when I was there in Jan 2017. Going to Angkor Wat, we passed a few parking areas that had to have had at least 50 tour buses in each lot. I was trying to estimate the total number of buses that were there at the time and I think it was close to 400 in total. 

Not sure where these restaurants are that they are tearing down. It says "in front of Angkor Temple" but the only thing I remember there were some makeshift little shops and food stands just across from the causeway over the moat.
Oh wait - I see on google that there are some buildings on the edges of the parking areas near the entrance to Angkor Wat and some in the trees on the other side as well.
Not sure what "infrastructure" they'd put in way over there though.

I recall some restaurants around the Terrace of the Elephants within the Angkor Tom moat as well. We had lunch there one day.
If they remove those, people won't have anywhere to get anything to eat or drink anywhere in the area I think.

Just hope they don't go the same route as they do at some (Buddhist) temples in Thailand, were it's all about trying to cream as much money as you can from the visitors. Like they do at Khao Khitchakut now where they have various places all along the path to the top where people can throw coins or staple bills to strings of money or buy flowers to place on statues (which are then collected and resold by the staff every few minutes).

Just have to wait and see I suppose.