SUNGAI PETANI: In February, the Cambodian authorities increased the ticket prices to its Angkor Wat temple from US$20 to US$37 (RM160) per head.
The price hike is part of the local authorities’ move to control the number of visitors from around the globe to the world heritage site.
Last year, revenue from ticket sales was US$63.6m and some of the proceeds were channelled to a children foundation in the country.
In Indonesia, nearly four million people had visited Borobudur Temple last year as the country moves towards making tourism its biggest revenue contributor by the year 2020.
Both sites are reaping huge benefits of joining the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) world heritage list.
The news that the Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex is ready for the Unesco listing has sparked excitement among tour guides here.
They are excited with the prospects that the Kedah Tua Civilisation site would one day make it to the list.
Sungai Batu Archeo-Adventure, one of the non-governmental organisations promoting the site, said Sungai Batu had the potential to be as famous as Angkor Wat and Borobudur Temple.
Activist-cum-tour guide Mohd Hadri Mazlan said that Sungai Batu had even greater potential, given that it had been affirmed as the oldest civilisation in Southeast Asia.
“Findings made by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Global Archaeology Research Centre (GARC) showed that Sungai Batu was a thriving iron smelting industry site 2,000 years ago.
“I believe this is an attraction for the heritage tourism market.
“The Unesco listing will place Sungai Batu on the world heritage map and we are looking at huge economic prospects for Kedah and the country.”
He said the listing would draw the funding to uncover relics buried underneath the oil palm and rubber estates surrounding the site.
“The artefacts are buried underneath the estates and may also stretch to private orchards, villages and new housing settlements.
“So, the team needs funding to expand its excavations.”
Hadri said since the Sungai Batu site had been declared as the oldest in the region, the number of tourist arrivals had increased.
He believed that by securing the Unesco listing, the number would increase even more.
Tour guide Mohd Faid Abu Mansor hoped that the application would be submitted soon.
“It will be a huge boost because we need to promote the site to the international market as Sungai Batu has good prospects.
“The move will be good for the state tourism sector as it will benefit tour guides, hospitality operators, eatery operators and the local community.”