Cast your minds back to 2012 – London was hosting the Olympics, Gangnam Style was all the rage and if you were a smartphone user back then, you’d likely have tried your hand at Temple Run. As silly little games go it was pretty addictive, but 13 years after its release the game has made something of a resurgence… in real life.
The fact is that an actual, existing temple – Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the largest temple network in the world – has become the backdrop of a TikTok trend where creators run, jump and (attempt to) slide throughout the structures in what they dub ‘Temple Run in real life’, which mirrors the actions of the virtual game.
@unemployedginge Temple Run in real life🐉 Angkor Wat, Cambodia🇰🇭 #travel #travelling #solo #backpacking #fyp #adventure #solotravel #foryoupage #cambodia #seasia #hitchhiking #foryou #templerun ♬ original sound - Apollo_tee2.0
The videos are garnering millions of views as well as comments praising the creators for showcasing Cambodia’s tourism offering. It might all sound like a bit of fun, but the trend has sparked concerns from conservationists and academics.
First up, with people running and jumping through these structures (which are estimated to be around 900 years old), they’re obviously at higher risk of damage. This is exactly what happened to the ancient Italian city of Matera, when a parkour group who visited in June managed to remove a whole chunk of a building when they were free-running.
What’s more, Angkor Wat is a protected World Heritage site, and rather than heading here for some mediocre attempts at parkour, UNESCO ‘urges visitors to approach [the site] with respect and curiosity’.
A spokesperson from the organisation told the Independent that while it’s great to shine a light on a destination’s tourism industry (Cambodia has struggled to bounce back to pre-pandemic visitor numbers), the negative effects of overtourism can be exacerbated by trends such as this one.
Moreover, they said: ‘The obsession with capturing and posting the perfect video can detract from the authentic travel experience, reducing engagement with the cultural and historical significance of a place.’ In short: don’t live your life through a screen, guys.
Experts have called out the lack of respect, not just for the building, but for what it means to Cambodia’s heritage. Simon Warrack, a conservation consultant, told Bloomberg: ‘It’s not just potential damage to the stones by people bumping or knocking things over — which is real, but it’s also damage to the spiritual and cultural value of the temples.’
So just another episode of tourists behaving badly, then. Take it from us – Angkor Wat is jaw-dropping enough without the need to hop, skip and jump your way through it.
Here are the best things to do in Cambodia.
More on overtourism with Time Out
Overtourism has been – ironically – everywhere this year, but at Time Out we’ve been all over it. From our roundup of tourist taxes and our deep-dive into unhinged tourist behaviour to a recent investigation into whether Europe will ever properly recover from its extreme visitor numbers and our news coverage, you can bet we’ll bring you all the latest information on overtourism.
Did you see that these are the best budget-friendly autumn getaways?
Plus: Why is this part of Sicily banning Mafia-themed souvenirs?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news.