Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple received a welcome publicity boost from a contest to choose seven "new" world wonders, despite not winning a spot on the list, tourism minister Thong Khon said Tuesday.
The decision not to include the 12th century temple -- Cambodia's biggest tourist attraction -- has angered some here who feel Angkor never had a fair shot because most Cambodians could not take advantage of the Internet voting.
But Thong Khon downplayed Angkor's exclusion, saying: "This is only the outcome of people using the Internet around the world, not the opinion of people in general."
Angkor's listing in 1992 as a UNESCO World Heritage site already proved its worth as a significant milestone for Cambodian culture, he said.
"We did not lose anything," he told reporters after returning from an announcement ceremony for the new wonders in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
"People around the world got to know more about Cambodia and Angkor Wat. I believe we will attract many more tourists following this campaign," he said.
Tourism remains one of the few money-spinners in the impoverished country, which attracted 1.7 million visitors last year.
The contest to find the new world wonders was launched by a private Swiss foundation in January, allowing voters to choose from 21 sites, including Angkor Wat, that were short-listed out of 77.
It said it had gathered nearly 100 million votes by the end of polling at midnight last Friday.
Voters chose the Great Wall of China; India's Taj Mahal; the centuries-old pink ruins of Petra in Jordan; the Colosseum in Rome; the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro; the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru; and the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico.
The privately-sponsored campaign was the brainchild of a Swiss filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber, following the destruction of Afghanistan's giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001.
The decision not to include the 12th century temple -- Cambodia's biggest tourist attraction -- has angered some here who feel Angkor never had a fair shot because most Cambodians could not take advantage of the Internet voting.
But Thong Khon downplayed Angkor's exclusion, saying: "This is only the outcome of people using the Internet around the world, not the opinion of people in general."
Angkor's listing in 1992 as a UNESCO World Heritage site already proved its worth as a significant milestone for Cambodian culture, he said.
"We did not lose anything," he told reporters after returning from an announcement ceremony for the new wonders in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
"People around the world got to know more about Cambodia and Angkor Wat. I believe we will attract many more tourists following this campaign," he said.
Tourism remains one of the few money-spinners in the impoverished country, which attracted 1.7 million visitors last year.
The contest to find the new world wonders was launched by a private Swiss foundation in January, allowing voters to choose from 21 sites, including Angkor Wat, that were short-listed out of 77.
It said it had gathered nearly 100 million votes by the end of polling at midnight last Friday.
Voters chose the Great Wall of China; India's Taj Mahal; the centuries-old pink ruins of Petra in Jordan; the Colosseum in Rome; the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro; the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru; and the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico.
The privately-sponsored campaign was the brainchild of a Swiss filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber, following the destruction of Afghanistan's giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001.
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