Over the past six years since the trustees first met in October 2006, we have seen enormous change in Siem Reap. In that time international visitors to Cambodia have reached 3.2 million in 2012, a huge uplift on the 1.7m in 2006. While this growth brings numerous opportunities to the city, particularly in terms of jobs and therefore improvements in living standards; we are very conscious that the speed of change and development also brings with it challenges for the locals and the environment. Highlighted in a June news review by BBC's Guy De Launey.
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| Bar Street 2003 |
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| Bar Street 2012 |
We are strong advocates of responsible tourism (RT), particularly Jo who has a Masters Degree in the subject. So we consciously collaborate with organisations that actively work towards RT principles. And hence we were delighted to be at the recent World Travel Market (WTM) in London, to receive one of the industries most prestigious awards on behalf of Soria Moria, who we have worked closely with since their inception.
Soria Moria is one of the businesses that give young adults in our programmes valuable work experience in their unique employee-owned hotel. Their hard work and commitment to their staff was the main reason they won in the category of Best Accommodation for Local Communities.
Also at the WTM, Jo took a 10 minute slot at "Speakers Corner" where she explained how we achieve our RT goals by strong communication and collaboration with the community in Siem Reap whether in development or tourism.
Many of you love the work we do, think we have the right approach and focus and have been impressed with the results (as are we). Many also ask if there is anything else you can do? and the best thing we can reply is if you get the opportunity why not take a trip to Cambodia? There are plenty of restaurants, hotels and trips we can recommend, whatever your budget and the best thing that can be done right now is putting money directly into their economy. There are many social responsible tourist outlets in Siem Reap and we recommend you talk to ConCERT who are a good starting point.
There is much on offer to see and do - the jaw dropping world heritage site of Angkor Wat - for a start. Also stunning beaches, dark and extensive history, colonial architecture, lazy river trips and outdoor activities including cycling, trekking and kayaking!
Don't worry we are not turning into tour operators but sharing our passion for this fascinating country is all part of our drive and commitment to get our young adults working and in turn improve their life chances.
