The Archaeological Survey of India carried out
restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. Since the 1990s, Angkor
Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism.
The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, established in 1992,
which has provided some funding and has encouraged the Cambodian government to
protect the site.
The German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP) is working to
protect the devatas and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from
damage. The organisation's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in
very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the
stone but in part also due to earlier restoration efforts. Other work involves
the repair of collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further
collapse: the west facade of the upper level, for example, has been buttressed
by scaffolding since 2002, while a Japanese team completed restoration of the
north library of the outer enclosure in 2005. World Monuments Fund began work
on the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery in 2008.
Angkor Wat has become a major tourist
destination. In 2004 and 2005, government figures suggest that, respectively,
561,000 and 677,000 foreign visitors arrived in Siem Reap province,
approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia for both years. The site
has been managed by the private SOKIMEX group since 1990, which rented it from
the Cambodian government. The influx of tourists has so far caused relatively
little damage, other than some graffiti; ropes and wooden steps have been
introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Tourism has
also provided some additional funds for maintenance—as of 2000 approximately
28% of ticket revenues across the whole Angkor site was spent on the
temples—although most work is carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams
rather than by the Cambodian authorities.
At the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2012, both parties
have agreed Borobudur and Angkor Wat to become sister sites and the provinces
will become sister provinces. Two Indonesian airlines are considering the
opportunity to open a direct flight from Yogyakarta, Central Java Province,
Indonesia to Siem Reap