Angkor Wat: A Temple to Tourism?

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Raffles was the first of the world-class hotels to get back into Cambodia, when it took over the crumbling colonial-era hotels Le Royal in Phnom Penh and the Grand in Siem Reap. The Grand, which had hosted Charles De Gaulle and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the 1960s, is again the place for the elite to stay. Last year Bill Clinton stayed there. Pop star Ricky Martin visited recently.

Many of the high-end hotels that entered the market a few years ago are already expanding. Amanresorts International, the Singapore company, opened a 12-room resort inside a walled compound in 2002, and in 2006 added another 12 $700-a-night suites, each with a private pool. The rooms are new, but the property itself is historic: Aman took over the former guesthouse of retired King Norodom Sihanouk and converted it to suites. What is now the dining room used to be where the king, an art-movie director, showed films.

Keeping the City Clean

Another architectural gem in the center of town is Residence Angkor, a 55-room boutique hotel built of exotic hardwoods. Run by Orient-Express Hotels (OEH), it caters to Westerners and is expanding by adding a spa, business center, and more dining space. Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa, with 130 rooms, does promotions with a nearby golf resort. Meanwhile, on the road to the airport, dozens of four-star multi-story hotels have sprung up to cater to Asian tour groups. And even more are being built.

Although tourists are coming in big numbers, there are challenges for the town. "We must keep the city clean," says Khon, the minister. That means getting the rubbish out of the riverside area, improving the bumpy dirt road that leads out to the Tonle Sap lake tours of floating villages and the bird sanctuary, and developing sports, such as kayaking or sailing on the Western Baray, a lake area near the temples. "We want to develop this as a satellite destination. It is helpful to the hotel industry if the tourists stay longer," he says. He envisions more options for all cultures. "You know the Europeans like swimming, the Americans like to do sports. The Chinese, the Asians, like to go shopping. So we have to develop all the markets."

Developing the Rest of the Country

The government is also looking to capitalize on the popularity of Siem Reap to develop other parts of the country. For instance, it is planning more golf courses for the Sihanoukville beaches, which the government says will be Cambodia's next tourism cash cow. Several new beach resorts, including a casino resort, are also under development.

Other areas of the country are also opening for tourists. Ecotourists are making their way to the jungle areas of Mondulkiri in northern Cambodia and Koh Kong in the south. Mondulkiri is marketing elephant treks through a small project known as the Elephant Valley Project, which works with a nongovernmental organization that cares for mistreated elephants. Hill-tribe treks can now be found in the northern province of Rattanakiri, and in the south, the little-explored Cardomom Mountains have hard-core trekking. "We want quality tourists, but our policy is we welcome any kind of tourism, luxury or not," says Khon.

Susan Postlewaite is an international business writer based in Phnom Penh.