Visitor ManagementCase Study of Circulation at

Angkor Wat Temple

By SOTHY TES

Angkor Park awarded ISO 14,001 in 2006

Source: The Department of Tourism Development, APSARA Authority

Tourist arrivals to Angkor: seven hundred thousand international & around 3

millions domestic

Exceeded carrying capacity Uncontrollable

Crowding & Blocking, Touching, Climbing ....etc

Aim

The research is contributing to maintain Angkor Wat’s authenticity and to improve the quality of tourists’ experiences.

Objectives

To identify tourist satisfaction towards the tourism attractions and services.

To check the dynamic capacity of Angkor Wat

Methodology

286 international tourists were interviewed to examine tourists ‘s satisfaction at Angkor Wat temple.

Interviewed APSARA authority ‘s 3 officers, 3 tour operators, 5 tour guides and 5 temple guards to definite the carrying capacity of Angkor Wat temple.

Tourism Attractions Importance Mean Score

Satisfaction Mean Score

1. Historical site 4.53 4.562. Culture/way of life in SR 3.93 3.80

1. Tourist satisfaction

(5 = most important & satisfied, 4 = quite important & satisfied, 3 = neither important nor unimportant & satisfied, 2 = not very important & satisfied, 1 = not at all important and satisfied). “

Tourist satisfaction of tourism attraction

Finding

Services Importance Mean Score

Satisfaction Mean Score

Immigration clearance 3.47 3.83Knowledge of tour guide 4.12 4.07Information from Hotel/tours 3.91 3.57Information from Govt.(APSARA) 3.3 2.96Sufficiency of public restroom 3.88 3.35

Price of admission to Angkor 3.64 3.18Cleanness of restaurant 4.10 3.65

Information provided at site 4.04 2.91

Tourist satisfaction of services

2. Defining the carrying capacity of Angkor Wat

monthly visitors arrival at Angkor Park 2005

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June

79,398 67,386 55,598 45,131 39,588 35,013

July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec49,495 59,478 40,992 59,543 79,910 79,455

International visitors in 2005: 690,987

Source: APSARA Department of Tourism

Total visitors per day at Angkor Wat

Dialy Distribution at Angkor Wat

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

7.00am

8.00am

9.00am

10.00

am11

.00am

12.00

pm13

.00pm

14.00

pm15

.00pm

16.00

pm17

.00pm

Time of Visiting

Num

ber o

f vis

itors

7,000 visitors/per day in high season

Length of visit (2h - 3hous)

Bridge:10 mn

Ta Raj: 15mn

Lake: 20mn

Ramayana: 6mn

Mahabharata: 6mn

Soriyavarman II: 6mn

Heaven & Hell: 6mn

Bakan: 30mn

Churning of the Ocean of

Milk: 6mn

Preah Poan: 15mn

Process of visiting at the present

10 20 30 40 50

NGI

Bakan temple 9Am: 350 3Pm: 500

G II

Process of visiting at the present

10 20 30 40 50

NGI

Bakan temple 9Am: 350 3Pm: 500

G II

Conclusion

A few spaces in the Angkor Wat are excessively crowded.

Gap between Tourist ‘s perception and service quality, especially in tourism information

Lack of visitor management: circuit, panels of explanation, center for information and also rule of enforcement.

Propositions to improve the situation

To design a visit circuit and panel of information at

each main spot in the temple.

To propose spots for resting and sightseeing views.

Regulations and penalties have to be set up in order to prevent disorder and inappropriate activities of visitor in the temple esp. during high seasons.

To establish information center for visitors.

10 20 30 40 50

N

461 people

453 people

207 pers/hour Circuit for visiting & limiting the number of visitors

5,000 to 6,000 per day is tolerable.

W.C

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PAYING ATTENTION.

SOM OR KUN