Kampong Thom provincial authorities yesterday said they began to restrict heavy vehicles from entering the area surrounding Sambor Prei Kuk temple, which was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site on July 8 and has since drawn in more than 200,000 visitors.

Seng Ang, National Heritage Committee director for Kampong Thom, said officials are now only allowing 12-seater vans, or vehicles weighing 2.5 tonnes or less, to enter the complex.

In the future, officials will block all vehicles, he added. “The plan is for the National Heritage Committee to prepare electric cars, bicycles, and carriages pulled by cows and horses to serve the tourists that come to visit,” he said. Since July 8 when the temple was listed as a heritage site, about 240,000 international and domestic tourists have visited.