Phnom Penh’s Independence Monument bedecked with coloured lights is a key tourist attraction. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Written by Georgia Wilkins
The Phnom Penh Post
'Government indifference' has earned the capital the second-worst rating in National Geographic's 2008 destination survey
AN annual National Geographic survey has rated Phnom Penh the "second-worst" city in the world to visit, putting its shortcomings down to "government indifference".
The 2008 "Places Rated" Destination Stewardship survey, announced this week by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, based its ranking on how well cities endured the pressures of mass tourism, the ravages of nature and the onslaught of global development.
According to the iconic magazine, the charm of Phnom Penh has been "lost to uncontrolled urban growth and the outright greed of land speculation", one of the judges said, adding it was a "very sad story" its astute colonial urban planning had now all but disappeared.
Govt dismisses result
Kousoum Saroeth, deputy director of the Cambodian Board of Tourism, dismissed the survey, saying that development has an overall "good impact" on tourism.
"Right now we have many projects that are helping organise tourism events in Cambodia," he said Tuesday, adding that tourism was one of the big earners in Cambodia.
The survey, which was judged by an independent panel of 280 experts in travel-related fields from around the globe, asked participants to scrutinise 109 historic places - the theme of the 2008 survey.
They were also asked to evaluate the qualities that make a destination unique.
Earlier this month, architects and urban planners warned the government that major commercial development projects, such as the filling-in of Boeung Kak lake, were tarnishing the once architecturally-lauded city. But City Hall has insisted all plans were sustainable.
Phnom Penh will sit just above Central City, in the US state of Colorado, when the full list of cities is featured in the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. It was labelled worst because, judges claim, casinos stole its charm.
AN annual National Geographic survey has rated Phnom Penh the "second-worst" city in the world to visit, putting its shortcomings down to "government indifference".
The 2008 "Places Rated" Destination Stewardship survey, announced this week by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, based its ranking on how well cities endured the pressures of mass tourism, the ravages of nature and the onslaught of global development.
According to the iconic magazine, the charm of Phnom Penh has been "lost to uncontrolled urban growth and the outright greed of land speculation", one of the judges said, adding it was a "very sad story" its astute colonial urban planning had now all but disappeared.
Govt dismisses result
Kousoum Saroeth, deputy director of the Cambodian Board of Tourism, dismissed the survey, saying that development has an overall "good impact" on tourism.
"Right now we have many projects that are helping organise tourism events in Cambodia," he said Tuesday, adding that tourism was one of the big earners in Cambodia.
The survey, which was judged by an independent panel of 280 experts in travel-related fields from around the globe, asked participants to scrutinise 109 historic places - the theme of the 2008 survey.
They were also asked to evaluate the qualities that make a destination unique.
Earlier this month, architects and urban planners warned the government that major commercial development projects, such as the filling-in of Boeung Kak lake, were tarnishing the once architecturally-lauded city. But City Hall has insisted all plans were sustainable.
Phnom Penh will sit just above Central City, in the US state of Colorado, when the full list of cities is featured in the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. It was labelled worst because, judges claim, casinos stole its charm.
24 comments:
so correct! NG got it right, PP is a bad place to live or visit
badman
There is nothing more beautiful than to have Boeung Kak Lake to be part of the city! If Cambodian officials insisted on building the new city base on concrete and metal and soon it will turn into just another slum and abandon building!
Why is it a surprise even Angkor Wat incorporate the element of water and the so called "New CamKo city also incorporate the element of water too! If the fucken Cambodian developers continue to fill up lakes and rivers and it will become just another boring place to visit!
Cambodian government need to put another to land speculation before the developers destroy more Cambodia natural beauty!
Damn HUN SEN, don't make our city like a trash place!
Clean them up!
Khmer PP,
Cambodian government can't plan ahead; but what they can is denying, denying, denying... Certainly, Phnom Penh is out of control because of greed over corruption money. Not a moment I am proud of them for a job well done.
Phnom Penh is at the image of Hun Sen and his CPP.
National Geographic only appreciates Colonial's shist. If you don't have any of that, you are the worst city on the planet. What a retard?
Yes, it is very truth Cambodia not the safe place
to visit or to live.
The government CPP is the biggest gangster
in Cambodia. The government official and the body
guard can bring gun to the restaurant, bar or nightclub.
When they drunk they just pull out their gun and shoot.
Cambodia is the lawless country.
whatever! i still think phnom penh is very beautiful. phnom penh has huge potential to be the next worldly metropolis city of the world in cambodia.
I agree. It's not clean, hard to find public restrooms. Dust flying everywhere and people selling roast porks in the dusty streets.
i think bangcock and ho chi minh are the shithole cities. you should see them up-close, there's no proper planning, and you can see the stinking sewage canal everywhere there. so, phnom penh is much better and it has potential to be the skyscraper pearl city of the oriental. god bless cambodia.
Go to hell Bangkock for National Gaylord and the rest of mofosob. Probably you can even hold your Ding Dong with a loser balls.
i dont give a damm what they all think i still wanna visit my country :) and go back to live again
I have no doubt to see this kind of report since all lawmakers and government officials are only interested in moneys more than beautifullification the city itself. To beautifully the city, we need to have good lake, good parks, good garden, good housing planning, good commercial building and good site of factories. We must grow trees, good drainaige system, good sewage system, good styles of appartment and good transport system. Cambodia local government should send their enginners to visite country such as NEw Zealand, Canada, Sweeden, Australia where they have their cities ranked amoung the top ten in the world. I am glad to have lived in a city which is ranking No 1 as the best place to live and to have the Chairman of that city is my closed friend. Areak Prey
No matter what's other people saying about our Country,Because The Kingdom of Cambodia going to be better place on earth for all our Khmer people and the tourists.
Please keep up good work and use your knowledge,Thank you!!!
May God grant our wish and protect the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Oh men Phnom Penh is a Sexy city in the world.You want ship sex or eat(Sy)good meals go to PP.Now just recently I saw a lot of CLUB mean CASINOS all over the city.Phnom Penh is open 3 big markets (sex + Drink + gumbling)
Srey Sra Lbeng.One stop shoping is Num pin.
What makes Phnom Penh ugly is the siam-style fences around Chinese looking houses. Such and eye-sore!!! Green metal bars with gold tips, Chinese lion scultures in front of a european style villa??? And of course, the brain-dead copy-catters!!!
It's a constructive criticism based on facts, so we should thank NG for pointing out our mistakes.
In some well-planned cities of other countries, they actually dug up canal or waterways and lake to beautify their garden cities. Our city officials, on the other hand, are filling up the Beung Kak lake to build ugly blocks of flats instead. Anyone visiting Phnom Penh right now can see how bad our traffic is because of the lack of proper planning for the city population and workers.
There are regular blackouts because the electricity consumption has sky-rocketed, and they did not understand that blocks of flats can accommodate lots of people and use lots of electricity. They have never planned for additional power supplies. But, these city officials can only see as far as the garden of their city villas and leave the rest of the problems to God.
Many beautiful state properties and lands are exchanged for flooded lands elsewhere. Part of the park in front of our railway station was sold to a rich banking and beer brewery family. Needless to say with whom they are related. Of course, the city officials beautified whatever left of the city parks because it happens to be their duty to do so.
Imagine if Hollywood made a movie in Phnom Penh, where would they go to film the scenery? I can only think of the rivers (river banks are falling because of uncontrolled extraction of sands by powerful business elite), the Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, and soon-to-be-vanished Beung Kak Lake.
I believe not to late to correct constructive.Is it?
This is my COUNTRY. This is my CITY. If the recent news did not please you people, you're free to move elsewhere -- and let us take care of our "country" and "city," if it not much to ask from you people.
Now -- if you wouldn't mind -- I have other works to do!
Phnom Penh High School drop-out student
One-stop-service is here in Phnom Penh, only casino. I don't see any beneficial development to the poor. The rich become poor due to casinos. Master plan for city development is coming from masterpiece of shit-head.
This is not the colonial era, so cut the crab. Also, for you information, imperialism and colonialism are not welcome in my country. Now, leave! Spread the word!
Phnom Penh High School drop-out student
This is not colonial era, it is the new tricky invasion and illegal treaties era!!! So, shut up and leave my (Se Pe Pe's) country alone.
DK and VN did demolish colonial powers and asked people to shut up...
who cares about this someone's else survey or opinion! in my khmer opinion, i think phnom penh is one of the most beautiful capital cities on the planet, and she will continue to improve her image even more so as she speak! god bless cambodia.
Let's make PP the capital of Vietnam!
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