Cambodia's tourist spots need local visitors now more than ever. That's great, because local people are exploring their own country more and more.

Can Indigenous Villages and Islands Become Cambodia’s Next Big Tourism Spots?
Ky Chamna 17/09/2020 9:28 AM

With an abundance of historical cultures and tropical terrains, not so many Cambodian people actually have the chance to visit all the tourism destinations that their own nation has to offer. Besides some of the temples and certain seaside areas, only a small number of Cambodians have ever fully experienced Cambodia’s virgin wilderness, until now.

From the undiscovered waterfalls deep inside the dense jungles, to the far-flung tiny islands off the coast of Sihanoukville and Koh Kong Province, Cambodia’s tourism destinations are growing in popularity with the domestic market.

Following the relative peace established in the late 1990s, the concept of travel for leisure has reemerged in Cambodian culture. Destinations within a short proximity to Phnom Penh have become prime targets for tourism operators, particularly as transport links have developed.

Even the roads from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap Province, one of the most visited parts of Cambodia, was made easily accessible and comfortable only a decade ago. Furthermore, the roads to Cambodia’s famous seaside provincial destinations, Sihanoukville, are still questionable in terms of safety, especially when traveling at night time. However, new and updated changes are being implemented in the form of new roads aimed at connecting these popular destinations.


The problem is the accessibility. Travel can be costly when distance, safety and other essential needs are taken into considerations. To the far north are the steep mountains ranges and dense forest. To the far south are the ocean and the possibility of natural storms and strong water current. When combined with costs and time, these complications have become a limitation for the majority of Cambodians when planning a trip.


However, changes are occurring at a noticeable rate. With the introduction of certain investments and the ever-expanding scope of social media usage, as well as broadcasting such as video blogging, the far-flung tourism destinations of Cambodia have been opened up. Tropical islands kilometers away from the shore have received a growing amount of interest both domestically and internationally. More than just the local seafood businesses, islands such as Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem—two popular island destinations—have acquired transformative investments, expanding their tourism capacity. Bungalows, cocktails bars and other luxurious resorts are making an appearance along those islands’ sandy white beaches. Frequent high-speed boat services narrow down the time needed to link between the coastline and the islands. In the past, most people only spent their time at the mainland beaches, but now, more and more Cambodians seem to enjoy expanding their radius of domestic travels into the seawater island regions.


To the far north and northeastern parts of Cambodia, the same process is slowly beginning to take shape. During the 1990s, traveling to Ratanakiri or Mondulkiri provinces was an entirely off-road experience. An experience which was not really enjoyable when the travelers actually wanted to urgently visit their family members or conduct business. It took days just to cover a distance of around 600 kilometers across the thick jungles and painfully bumpy roads. But deep inside those mountainous regions lives the population of various indigenous minorities. The tribal communities which, a few decades ago, were far away from receiving the influences of the rest of the world. The region comprises of tribal languages and cultures, but through urbanization, these indigenous cultures are being altered slowly, day-by-day they absorb the ways of the rest of the world. Because of the inevitable changes, it is only a matter of time before the cultures of these tribal communities, in their purest forms, will cease to exist. That is why, for some Cambodian travelers, being able to witness and experience the cultures and lifestyles of these tribal populations is one of the most important things that needs to be done before time runs out.


A sense of adventure among the Cambodian youth has been amplified by social media and may kick-start an explosion of demand for more daring travels. Beautiful high-resolution videos and images have captured the attention of many Cambodians, allowing them to appreciate the eye-catching landscapes that exist within their own border.

More: https://cambodianess.com/article/can-in ... rism-spots

There is a trade off between tourism and preserving culture/indigenous habitats. Change is the consequence when travellers arrive in new destinations: guesthouses, restaurants, bars, etc will open up, services like transport will be offered..money will arrive which will change a place that was considered remote a few years before...in most cases having a negative impact on the indigenous way of living and somehow killing the atmosphere which was the first reason to get there.

All of the elder members will remember how paradise places turned hell (Samui, Bali, Lake Toba, Boracay to name just a few), every country has its examples how tourism has helped tackle poverty but at the same time destroying the original beauty of a place.

Sad but very true Truff ^^^

Often that modernisation process, even if ugly, does improve the the lives of the locals
eg, In Cambodia people can be lifted out desperate poverty and rural squalor
- but sometimes disposed into something even worse.
Ps, most of those happy chubby Khmer tourist operators and employees you see, were not the original locals of the area.

But after observing SEA coastal communities transform for nearly 50 years, often into prosperous tourist resorts, i would have to say generally the locals in most places were happier, healthier and with a much more functional/effective culture previously.
They were very functional societies. And with much more functional operating system for their natural resources.

The original longstanding communities and the natural resources are usually collateral damage to the "National Good".

C'est la vie but don't think you are necessarily improving the lives of the real locals when you order that cocktail with the plastic palm trees and dolphins jumping out of it when lounging poolside at the beach resort.

The "tribal villages" they speak of don't really exist anymore. I mean sure, quite a few elders still speak Krung or Phnong, but their numbers are relatively small and hardly a tourist attraction for locals. Locals prefer to dress up and take pictures in gaudy makeshift "traditional" clothes next to purposely built houses rather than explore any cultural differences at the village level. More of a Mickey Mouse style experience than a more authentic one. I've found there's sometimes a sort of thinly veiled animosity towards the minorities (Khmers still ran raiding parties and enslaved them till the late 1800s after all).

Nearly 900,000 Visitors Tour the Country during Chinese-Vietnamese Lunar New Year
AKP Phnom Penh, February 15, 2021 --

Cambodia received in total 892,638 domestic tourists during the Chinese-Vietnamese Lunar New Year, from Feb. 12 to 14, a slight decrease of 2.23 percent compared to the same period last year, pointed out a report of the Ministry of Tourism released this afternoon.

Of the tourists, 880,553 were national visitors, up 6.05 percent, and 12,085 were internal foreign visitors, down 85.40 percent, it added.

According to the same source, the most visited tourism destinations were Phnom Penh capital, followed by Siem Reap, Kampot, Kep, Preah Sihanouk, Kandal, Battambang, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, and Pursat provinces.
- AKP

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:00 am Nearly 900,000 Visitors Tour the Country during Chinese-Vietnamese Lunar New Year
AKP Phnom Penh, February 15, 2021 --

Cambodia received in total 892,638 domestic tourists during the Chinese-Vietnamese Lunar New Year, from Feb. 12 to 14, a slight decrease of 2.23 percent compared to the same period last year, pointed out a report of the Ministry of Tourism released this afternoon.

Of the tourists, 880,553 were national visitors, up 6.05 percent, and 12,085 were internal foreign visitors, down 85.40 percent, it added.

According to the same source, the most visited tourism destinations were Phnom Penh capital, followed by Siem Reap, Kampot, Kep, Preah Sihanouk, Kandal, Battambang, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, and Pursat provinces.
- AKP

I bet the MoT had staff at every bus station, taxi, boat and airport to gather those figures, so they must be correct.

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Wed Sep 23, 2020 7:16 am I've found there's sometimes a sort of thinly veiled animosity towards the minorities (Khmers still ran raiding parties and enslaved them till the late 1800s after all).

Do you have any links about the enslavement or raiding partys I can't find any info online?

Cambodia News, (Kampot province): Kampot province administration officials told PNN on the morning of February 15, 2021 that there are have been more than 10 thousand tourists visiting Kampot province on the occasion of Chinese-Vietnam New Year, from 12 to February 14, 2021.
Most of them are national guests from the provincial capital of Cambodia. (Phnom Penh).

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 9:55 pm Cambodia News, (Kampot province): Kampot province administration officials told PNN on the morning of February 15, 2021 that there are have been more than 10 thousand tourists visiting Kampot province on the occasion of Chinese-Vietnam New Year, from 12 to February 14, 2021.
Most of them are national guests from the provincial capital of Cambodia. (Phnom Penh).

New post Police Urged to Monitor Social Media "Fake News"

by CEOCambodiaNews » Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:41 pm » in Newsworthy