PHNOM PENH, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia banned tourists from eating food on the lawns around the Angkor Wat temple, local authority told Xinhua on Wednesday, saying that the practice diminishes the temple's cultural value and harms the environment.
Hang Pov, director general of Apsara National Authority responsible for protecting and preserving the Angkor Archeological Park, told Xinhua that food vendors are also prohibited from setting up mattresses or hammocks for guests to eat meals on the grass around the temple.
"These activities have affected the value of cultural heritage as well as the environment and public order in the Angkor Archeological Park," he said.
The authorities will spend 45 days advising food vendors and tourists on this ban, he said, adding that after the period, they will take an administrative measure to the violators.
The Angkor Archeological Park, the kingdom's most popular tourist destination, is located in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.
The ancient park received 1.39 million foreign tourists in the first seven months of 2019, earning gross revenue of 62.3 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to the government figures.
Most of the visitors to the park are Chinese, Americans, and South Koreans.
