Angkor Wat in Cambodia dress code: Ban on scantily clad tourists

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This was published 7 years ago

Angkor Wat in Cambodia dress code: Ban on scantily clad tourists

By Kylie McLaughlin
Banned: The images distributed by Cambodia's Apsora Authority.

Banned: The images distributed by Cambodia's Apsora Authority.

Visitors to the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia may be in for a rude shock should they try and slip out of something uncomfortable in order to beat the oppressive jungle heat.

Armed with photographic examples of Western tourists wearing nothing but T-shirts and underwear, the APSARA Authority - responsible for the protection of the archaeological park - is putting a stop to scantily-clad tourists visiting the site.

Undies might be alright in your own loungeroom, but are you going to take them for a test drive down your local high street? Probably not. So why do it in Cambodia?

The Authority has also, rightly so, taken particular offence to short shorts that reveal a little more of your butt than the rest of the world needs to see.

They're also not ecstatic about girls going bra-less or displaying cleavage, and all visitors should avoid T-shirts that reveal the back or the upper body.

Travellers wearing clothing deemed inappropriate will be asked to cover up or face being banned from the site.

These rules are not dissimilar to those imposed at temples in neighbouring Thailand.

Mr Long Kosal of the APSARA told AFP that the clothing "shows disrespect to our beautiful culture and tradition."

The Cambodian authorities are particularly riled by a series of recent incidents at the site, including the arrest of a group of tourists for taking nude photographs. The tourists received suspended sentences and were expelled from the country.

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Officials were similarly enraged when a series of photos of Asian women posing naked at ancient Cambodian temples went viral.

With more than 1000 temples, shrines and tombs hidden in the jungle, Angkor Wat is the world's largest monument, and it is almost one of the world's most visited, with around two million tourists travelling there last year.

See also: Ten places you should visit at the 'wrong' time

See also: Six of the best Siem Reap hotels

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