Visitors to Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park are set to have more places to rest as the APSARA National Authority (ANA) installs 225 benches across key ancient temples and high traffic areas throughout the site in 2026. The initiative is designed to improve visitor comfort while protecting the historic environment and reducing pressure on ancient temple structures.
The project is particularly important for elderly travellers, young children and people with disabilities, giving them designated spaces to rest, wait and view the temples from a comfortable distance. At the same time, the new facilities form part of a broader effort to improve visitor infrastructure across one of Cambodia’s most important tourism destinations.
The new seating is more than a visitor convenience. By directing tourists toward designated resting areas, the initiative supports a better visitor experience while helping protect Angkor’s ancient stones, cultural landscape and long term tourism value.
225 benches planned across Angkor in 2026
According to the Department of Tourism Development and Culture of the APSARA National Authority, the ANA plans to install 225 benches across the Angkor site during 2026. The benches are being placed in locations where visitor traffic is high and where tourists are likely to need a comfortable place to pause between temple visits.
Tes Sothy, deputy director of the department, said the locations and quantities were determined after studies examining visitor numbers, tourist needs and surrounding environments. This approach means the project is not simply about adding more facilities, but about placing them where they can provide practical benefits without compromising the character of the archaeological site.
The initiative also reflects a growing focus on visitor management at major heritage destinations. Angkor covers a large area, and visitors often move between multiple temple sites during a single trip. Providing designated places to rest can make the experience more manageable, particularly for travellers who may find extended walking and sightseeing physically demanding.
Protecting ancient temples while improving visitor comfort
One of the important purposes of the benches is to discourage visitors from sitting directly on temple stones. With designated seating available, tourists have an alternative place to rest without using parts of the ancient structures as informal seating.
This could help reduce congestion around popular temple areas while minimising potential impacts on centuries old structures. Protecting the physical condition of Angkor is essential not only from a heritage conservation perspective but also for Cambodia's tourism economy, which depends heavily on the site's continued appeal to international and domestic visitors.
Sothy explained that benches are placed under tree shade, allowing visitors to relax, enjoy the scenery and appreciate the architecture in a peaceful atmosphere. Their positioning is therefore intended to combine practical comfort with the visual and environmental qualities of the surrounding landscape.
For visitors, this means a more comfortable experience between temple stops. For site managers, it provides a more controlled way to accommodate tourists while maintaining appropriate distance from sensitive architectural features.
Careful planning shapes where benches are installed
The ANA is taking a technical approach before each installation. A technical team evaluates the cultural landscape, temple structures, visitor traffic and available space before determining where seats should be placed.
This process is particularly relevant at a heritage destination such as Angkor, where modern visitor facilities must coexist with ancient architecture and a protected cultural landscape. Poorly positioned infrastructure could interfere with the historic setting, visitor movement or environmental conditions, making careful planning an important part of the project.
The seats are also positioned to protect the environment while providing photography opportunities. This creates an additional benefit for visitors who want to pause and photograph the temples without necessarily standing directly beside or on sensitive structures.
From a tourism management perspective, thoughtfully positioned seating can contribute to a more orderly visitor flow. It can give travellers places to stop without creating unnecessary pressure around temple entrances, pathways and other heavily visited areas.
Angkor visitor facilities are expanding beyond benches
The bench project is part of a wider programme to improve visitor facilities across the Angkor site. The authority is also preparing wooden viewing platforms, constructing a sunrise viewing platform at Angkor Wat’s southern pond, fitting wooden access stairs and installing directional signage and information boards at various temple sites.
These additions address several practical aspects of the visitor journey. Viewing platforms can provide designated spaces for enjoying important landscapes, while wooden access stairs can improve movement through areas where visitors need additional support. Directional signs and information boards, meanwhile, can help tourists navigate the extensive temple complex more easily.
The sunrise viewing platform at Angkor Wat’s southern pond is another example of infrastructure being developed around visitor behaviour and tourism demand. Sunrise experiences have long been an important part of the Angkor visitor experience, making designated viewing facilities useful for managing tourists while providing appropriate places from which to enjoy the landscape.
Together, these improvements suggest that visitor infrastructure is being considered as an integrated part of heritage tourism management rather than as isolated construction projects.
A second phase of investment in the Angkor visitor experience
The 2026 project marks the second phase of the ANA's bench installation initiative across the Angkor site. Continuing the programme indicates that designated seating is being treated as part of the site's longer term visitor management strategy.
For Cambodia's tourism sector, improvements of this kind can have significance beyond immediate visitor comfort. The quality of infrastructure influences how travellers experience destinations, particularly at large heritage attractions where visitors may spend several hours walking between different sites.
Better facilities can also make Angkor more accessible to a wider range of travellers. Elderly tourists, families travelling with young children and people with disabilities may have different physical requirements from other visitors. Providing suitable places to rest is therefore an important component of creating a more inclusive tourism environment.
At the same time, conservation remains central. The objective is not to modernise Angkor in a way that changes its historic character, but to provide carefully designed facilities that help visitors experience the site while respecting its cultural and environmental sensitivities.
What the improvements mean for Cambodia tourism?
Angkor remains one of Cambodia's defining tourism assets, and the management of its visitor experience has implications for the country's broader tourism industry. Tour operators, hotels, travel agencies and other businesses connected to the tourism economy all benefit when major attractions are accessible, well managed and comfortable for visitors.
The installation of benches and other facilities may appear modest compared with major tourism infrastructure projects, but small improvements can influence the quality of a visitor's overall experience. A traveller who can rest comfortably, navigate between temples more easily and access designated viewing areas may be better positioned to enjoy a full day at the site.
The challenge is maintaining a balance between accessibility and conservation. Angkor's appeal comes from its extraordinary architecture, cultural significance and historic environment. Any visitor facility therefore needs to support tourism without diminishing the qualities that make the destination valuable in the first place.
The ANA's approach of evaluating cultural landscapes, temple structures, visitor traffic and available space before installation reflects that balance. If implemented carefully, these improvements can support both visitor satisfaction and the long term preservation of Angkor.
Conclusion
The installation of 225 benches across Angkor in 2026 represents a practical step toward improving Cambodia's heritage tourism experience. By creating designated resting areas, the APSARA National Authority is addressing the needs of visitors while encouraging them to stay off ancient temple stones and helping reduce congestion around sensitive structures.
Combined with viewing platforms, improved access stairs, directional signage and information boards, the project forms part of a broader effort to make Angkor easier and more comfortable to explore. For Cambodia's tourism industry, such improvements matter because preserving the quality of the visitor experience is closely connected to preserving the destination itself.
As Angkor continues to welcome travellers, the success of its tourism future will depend not only on attracting visitors, but also on managing their experience responsibly. Better facilities, thoughtful planning and strong heritage protection can help ensure that Angkor remains an extraordinary destination for generations to come.