SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, July 12, 2003: A year ago, tourist buses jammed the parking lots around the ancient temples of Angkor. Trash piled up and exhaust fumes from taxis colored the air a hazy blue. These architectural wonders were in danger of being overrun — not by the surrounding jungles, but by hordes of travelers. “The serenity of one’s visit to Siem Reap and the temples is what’s magical and, unfortunately, that’s in jeopardy,” UNESCO conservationist Tamara Teneishvili said a year ago. What a difference a year makes, after the SARS outbreak and the war in Iraq. But tourism officials are optimistic that as SARS ebbs, the planes will fill up again, and Cambodia will reach its goal of 1 million annual visitors to Angkor by 2010.
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