ne of the earliest recorded monument-goers was Herodotus, the Greek historian who voyaged to Egypt 2,400 years ago to stand in awe before the pyramids of Giza. He has inspired countless like-minded travelers: 90 million people came to Asia last year alone--many to pay tribute to the region's wealth of ancient sites.

There's a cost to this cultural curiosity, however: heritage sites, particularly in Asia, are falling apart. Pilfering, pollution, harsh climates, overdevelopment, neglect, warfare...they all add up to crumbling monuments--and disappointed travelers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is trying to reverse the trend. It identifies 94 Asian sites of irreplaceable and intrinsic cultural value, ranging from China's Great Wall to Java's Borobudur temple. (The list--a useful tip sheet on spectacular places to visit--is found at www.unesco.org/whc.) Junko Taniguchi of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre in Paris notes that, of the 72 Asian monuments and temples on the list, 50 are now endangered by urban development. Much of that has been spurred by tourism itself, as eager entrepreneurs rush in to cater to busloads of visitors.

UNESCO and other preservationist groups aren't against tourism, but they hope to foster better habits among those busloads. "Culture is what intrigues us as travelers," says Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monuments Fund. "But do you have to shop at a mall on your vacation?" The New York-based organization joined forces with American Express in 1995 to form World Monuments Watch, which maintains a list of the world's 100 most endangered man-made sites (www.worldmonuments.org). Working with local partners, conservationists from the fund have helped restore places like Vietnam's crumbling imperial city of Hue and the Angkor temple of Preah Khan in Cambodia. Only 25 of the original sites still remain on the list. The rest have been replaced by other imperiled spots, including, most recently, Jufu Hall in Beijing, the Cina River kampong in Terengganu, Malaysia, and San Sebastian Church in Manila.

"Some people argue that we're rewarding people who haven't looked after their monuments," concedes Stephen Halsey, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Foundation, which also funds conservation projects. But the job might otherwise not get done: protection of heritage is often a low priority for developing countries. In the long run, however, such efforts can only succeed if local authorities give them their blessing. "Locals must be made the stewards of that beach or monument or forest or street that draws visitors to their area," says Halsey. Only then can Asia's great landmarks of the past truly have a future.

--By Shirley Brady

KITSCH REPORT

A Thai development group is venturing into new waters, with dreams of building Asia's first underwater hotel. The owners of the Thai Muang Beach Golf Course, on Mod Daeng Island just off Phang Nga, recently announced plans to build the Phuket Princess Paradise Hotel, a five-star development with 200 guest rooms located beneath the sea. The developers won't divulge details about the hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2001. At the world's only other underwater hotel, the Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Fla., guests enter by diving 10 m down into a shallow entrance area. Investors from Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei are said to be backing the Thai project, which is budgeted at about $12 million. But will the Thai economy have recovered from its dive by then?

WEB CR@WLING

STIR-FRY
(www.adaweb.com/context/stir-fry)

ON THE ROAD Travel with Museum of Modern Art associate video curator Barbara London, who recently spent 28 days in China and chronicles her visit on this website. From Beijing to Guang-zhou, she hobnobs with China's avant-garde and assembles works by the country's burgeoning clan of offbeat media artists. Check out Wang Gongxin's stone and sand composition, Hole to Brooklyn, which plays with conventional perceptions of China's geography.

PICTURE MUMBAI
(www.picturemumbai.com)

EYES WIDE OPEN
For a different kind of multimedia travelogue, experience Bombay (Mumbai) through the eyes of nine local amateur photographers, including Asir, 12, a Muslim urbanite, and Nicole, 18, an Aerosmith-loving college student. The black-and-white photographs offer an unrestrained and visually arresting look at the vibrant city, one of five featured in this series sponsored by the Getty Conservation Institute.

SHORT CUTS

AIR VEGAS With little fanfare, Singapore Airlines on June 1 began offering gambling on its flights to Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong. Passengers on these routes can now play blackjack, poker or slots. Bets, ranging from 25[cents] to $3, are placed by swiping a credit card to activate a "gaming" software program located on passengers' Krisworld personal entertainment system, available in all classes. Winnings, up to a maximum of $3,500, are credited to the player's credit card. SIA, the third airline to offer high-altitude gambling (after Swissair and Lauda Air), plans eventually to install such games on all of its routes.

ROUGH LANDINGS Airport officials around the world are squawking over the leak of a confidential report listing 150 airports that pilots consider "critically deficient." The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations gives its lowest, "black star" rating this year to 15 airports, including San Francisco, Nice, Wellington and Hong Kong's soon-to-be-replaced Kai Tak.

DETOURS

A gem of a hotel opened in march in Manila's historic Intramuros district--with only one full-time employee. The Intramuros de Manila also serves as a hospitality school staffed by enthusiastic trainees. The newly renovated property has 25 spotless rooms, polished red-brick and hardwood floors, hidden courtyards and balconies and a covered patio for lounging. Rooms at the non-profit inn cost $40 to $65 a night. The hotel is located across from the San Augustin cathedral, in the former seat of Spain's Pacific empire. An 18-hole golf course encircles the district, and within its stone walls is an array of bookstores, museums and restaurants. For more details, call (63) 918-875-7987.

Get more travel news at www.time.com/asia