Ecotourism in spotlight

CAMBODIA needs to increase its focus on “responsible tourism” to keep up with foreign travellers and capture a growing market, according to officials from Dutch-backed development agency SNV. But domestic firms warned against relying too much on sustainable travel to fuel sector growth at the launch of SNV’s Responsible Travel Cambodia pilot project, attended by 70 tourist operators at Phnom Penh’s Intercontinental Hotel.

The SNV scheme is set to provide business mentoring to six tourism firms for six months with the goal of increasing opportunities to capture the burgeoning “responsible” market. “We don’t want to just eliminate the negative impacts [of tourism] but rather also introduce positive impacts,”SNV Cambodia sector leader Trevor Piper said.

Responsible tourism aims at maximising economic, social and environmental benefits of tourism, according to the organisation. While local operators welcomed a potential shift to responsible travel at the launch, some cautioned that it was yet to become a big player in Cambodia’s tourist market. “Not a lot of people ask about eco-tourism,” said Peau Vanchanphal, manager’s assistant at inbound tour operator Abercrombie and Kent. 

Sourced=phnompenhpost