Ministry of Education and Training Viet Nam
National Economics University By
H.E. Thong Khon

A dissertation submitted to the National Economics University in
fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Tourism Management

August, 2011
The development of Ecotourism
in Cambodia

Summary

2

Chapter I Introduction
1.1 Background
Cambodia is located in the heart of Southeast Asia and is laid on a rich tropical region. It

community-based natural resource management and conservation; and long-term development
programs in such areas. Thus, the introduction of ecotourism is seen as the efficient way to
alleviate environmental problems, to foster democratic society, to improve natural resource
management and conservation, and to reduce poverty in rural communities.
For the RGC, under the brilliant leadership of Samdach Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo
Hun Sen, economic growth is a priority, while conservation is its commitment. The commitment
of the RGC shows a positive indicator which stimulates an interest of relevant stakeholders: the
civil society, international communities and development partners to use ecotourism as one of the 1
Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and surrounding areas, the coastal zone (Kampot, Kep, Sihanouk Ville, Koh Kong), and the
northeastern part of the country (The Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia)
3

integrated development tools in park areas and biosphere reserves and other fragile rural
destinations of strong human-nature relationship. Specifically, in Cambodia, one of the richest
regions in terms of biodiversity and natural resources is the Peam Krosaop mangrove forest,
which is adjoined by Koh Kong Province; and the area serves as a base to visit the Cardamom-
Protecting Forest which is a hotspot supporting a wide variety of flora and fauna species, classified
as 10 ten biodiversity hotspots of the world including the Asian elephant, the Indochinese tiger and
the Siamese crocodile. It’s also important to be noted that Samdach Akka Moha Sena Padei
Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia said, in his Speech in 2003,
Kompong Cham Province, “When tourists want to go to visit temples, they should go to Angkor
and when they want to visit tropical forests they should go to the Cardamoms”. Actually Wildlife
Alliance Organization begins working in Chi Phat Commune in the heart of the Southern
Cardamoms to implement Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) as a way of conserving and
developing a region of exceptional natural and cultural significance.
Within this framework, ecotourism has become a promising tool for promoting natural
resource’s objectives for providing incentives to maintain ecosystem integrity, biodiversity

exist (RGC, Protected Area Law et al., 2006, p. 16).
4

The analysis of these questions will produce recommendations which will serve as a
foundation for the management, development and planning of ecotourism projects in Cambodia.
1.3 Methodology and Data Sources:
To answer all the above questions, it requires a participatory ecotourism development
approach for ecotourism developers and researchers to investigate the potentials, challenges and
effectiveness in using ecotourism as a tool for conservation and community development in the
complex rural context. Theoretically and methodologically, this approach is explicit for ecotourism
development which previous studies failed to throw a light on factors causing for success or
failures of ecotourism projects. In fact, ecotourism and natural environment conservation success in
national areas are closely linked to the quality of relationships maintained between tourists, local
communities and natural areas (protected areas). The approach used in this case study research is
based on an analytical framework developed by Ross and Wall (1999). This framework allows us
to evaluate the sustainability status of tourism development projects by analyzing the interrelation
between Local Community- Tourism-Natural Resources or Protected Area (PA).
1.4 Dissertation organization
This dissertation is organized into different chapters as follows.
It begins in Chapter 2 with the development of concepts of sustainable tourism or
alternative tourism, which is being used to promote community development and conservation in
natural areas. Chapter 3 starts with an explanation of the overview of the Cambodian economy,
tourism and ecotourism in Cambodia. Interestingly, we make an SWOT analysis for ecotourism
development in Cambodia based on the current situation. Chapter 4 focuses on the case study of
Ecotourism in Peam Krasop and Chi Phat CBET development. Chapter 5 Based on our analysis
of case study, chapter 5 (Conclusion and Recommendation) suggests what can be done at the
policy and operational levels to move ecotourism development in Cambodia in the direction of
sustainable and responsible approaches and showcase the research limitations for further studies.
Chapter II Literature review: Theoretical and Practical Framework
2.1 Theoretical framework
(MT) may be said to be predominantly unsustainable.
On the other hand, most forms of AT are sustainable in nature. (AT) can be broadly defined
as forms of tourism that set out to be consistent with natural, social and community values and
which allow both hosts and guests to enjoy positive and worthwhile interaction and shared
experiences. (AT) comprises of socio-cultural tourism and nature-based tourism.
2.1.2 Principles of Ecotourism
For our research, upon the various principles of ecotourism cited by TIES and the Québec
Declaration and on our working definition, we group the principles of ecotourism into six criteria
for ecotourism: 1) Primary focus on Natural Environment as the attraction 2) Minimizes
negative Impact 3) Builds environmental and cultural awareness 4) Promotes conservation 5)
Provides financial benefits for local people 6/ Encourage community empowerment through
participations.
2.1.3 The Politics of Ecotourism
In this context, the need to have specific legal frameworks and policies to ecotourism seem
to be important to regulate the ecotourism activity to ensure its positive impacts. For that, each

TOURISM
MASS TOURISM
ALTERNATIVE
TOURISM

Unsustainable practice Sustainable practice
Socio-cultural tourism
Nature based tourism
NBT

example, a wider recognition of standards for responsible ecotourism must be adopted by
governments and such standards should govern the development of ecotourism.
2.2 Trends in Global Ecotourism: Some Insightful Examples of
Ecotourism:
The following section will describe with examples a few ecotourism projects from various
parts of the world, especially in Asia. Although all of them are well known, all of them are not
necessarily perfect examples of ecotourism. So, to support the ecotourism development, the key
management issues to be addressed include government supports, sustainable use of local
resources, participation of stakeholders in benefit sharing, strengthening of local institutions,
linkages with regional and national levels, education and training.
2-2-1 Government support:
A characteristic of community-based tourism is that it requires a multi-institutional support
structures in order to success and sustains. Since community based ecotourism is people oriented
approach, working towards a fair benefit sharing and uplifting poverty will encourage the
government and the community to conserve their natural and cultural resources. As a result it
always has positive response from the government. Government agencies usually act as facilitator,
coordinator or advisory agency to the local community by establishing local institutions and
ecotourism developer and helping the institutions in term of human resources development,
capacity building and legal framework.
2-2-2 Participation of tourism development stakeholders:
Even though ecotourism businesses are located in natural areas, they still require much of
the same infrastructure as other businesses to deliver quality experiences for their clients. Indeed,
the successful implementation of ecotourism depends on the development of stable infrastructure.
This increases the scope for wider participation, including the participation of the informal sector.
Due to its direct and indirect relationship with other sectors, tourism contributes to ‘‘internally
generated development’’ by stimulating the establishment of other economic activities such as
industries, services and so on.
7

Through contacts with the tourists, members learn new knowledge and experiences, which

many villages which surround the reserve. Reserve guards act as guides- local villagers also act as
guides if there are no guards available. Some villagers receive income by renting boats to visitors.
Therefore, the only local people receiving any regular benefits are reserve guards. The reserve
retains virtually none of the profits from tourism, 2% of the total trip cost is collected by the
reserve administration, which is returned to the North Sulawesi Government. This funding is
inadequate to control illegal hunting, which has reduced the macaque population in the reserve by
75% in the past 15 years. Even through guards benefit from the extra-money they receive from
ecotourists for providing guide services, this has not been a sufficient incentive to control hunting;
indeed, time spent on guiding visitors is time away from protection duties.
2-2-4 Sustainable use of local resource:
Ecotourism is highly dependent upon natural capital (e.g. wildlife, scenery) and culture.
These are assets that own and managed by all community members including the poor, individually
8

or through communal properties, even if they have no financial resources. It creates awareness;
self esteem and proud among the community as a whole, as its resources are increasing in value,
priceless and become the sole reasons for the visitors to visit their village. This may trigger
motivation to the community members to be more responsible and caring towards their resources.
2-2-5 Ecotourism and the involvement of local community:
strengthening local institutions
Normally, livelihoods based on activities such as agriculture, cattle farming, hunting,
fishing, wood collection, timber harvesting and mineral extraction require substantial amounts of
natural resources (water, trees, mineral and, most of all, land and soil) to sustain large populations.
But, implementation and enforcement of use restrictions may foster confusion and resentment on
the part of local people accustomed to using such lands and resources. In such situations, local
people may become opponents of tourism and undermine its operation. Such obstacles to the
success of ecotourism can often be countered by involving local people in planning and
management processes, whereby they have some control over and agreed-upon access to the
resources they require (local empowerment). In this case, the involvement of local people to
ecotourism development relate to two levels:

marketed as ecotourism are beneficial and not harmful to environments and communities.
a- Regulation of Ecotourism:
In general, it is recognized that a variety of regulations need to be developed such as codes
of conduct, ecotourism guidelines, ecotourism certification and so on, together with legal
regulations that help reduce negative impacts. Actually, in attempts to raise the consistency of
ecotourism experiences, many destinations have chosen to adopt a set of ecotourism
certification
3
.
In continents where ecotourism is well developed, one of the main issues that are discussed
is certification. However, such certification program not only helps to promote the delivery of
high quality and sustainable ecotourism experiences, but provides consumers and authorities with a
basis for discriminating between legitimate and unscrupulous operators (Allock et al. 1994). Based
on voluntary initiatives, ecotourism certification involves setting criteria for measuring the quality
as well as social and environmental impacts of tourism, carrying out audits, awarding eco-labels,
and building consumer and industry demand for such certification programs. The use of
certification standards for labeling various products is not a new concept. “Blue Angel
4
”,
Germany’s ecolabeling program established in 1977, was the first environment seal of approval for
various categories of products. Since then, the use of eco- labels has expanded through the world.
Some ecolabel schemes, such as Green Globe 21, define their accreditation criteria purely in terms
of continuous improvement in major areas such as energy and water consumption, etc, and Costa
Rica Certification in Sustainable Tourism program and Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation
Program (NEAP) in Australia.
b- Ecotourism Guidelines
There have been strong moves over the last decade, to introduce more sustainable forms of
tourism and to demonstrate to visitors this sense of responsibility. This has been found among
countries, destination regions, cities, hospitality chains, groups of separate businesses and
individual businesses. Although few destinations or enterprises have developed comprehensive

Talking about growth, Cambodia’s economy is among the fastest growing in the world
recently hitting the magic 10%-a-year target during the last few years. Cambodia has achieved a
decade of sustainable strong economic growth and sound macroeconomic management. These
remarkable achievements in economic development and poverty reduction were accomplished
through responsible macroeconomic management and a steady program of reforms by government,
together with the dynamism of the private sector and the productivity and effort of Cambodian
people. Most of this is attributed to the substantial growth in industry and then services. Industrial
growth was driven by the considerable growth of garments and construction. Services sector
growth is due to tourism. Recently, in his address at the closing of tourism stocktaking conference
in 2008 and 1st semester of 2009; and the direction setting for 2nd semester of 2009 and 2010,
Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, the Prime Minister of the Royal
Government of Cambodia, mentioned that Tourism has been a major growth pillar for Cambodia
for years. It’s clear that tourism is a major part in service platform of the country’s economy. Both
industry and services have made considerable contributions to GDP growth.
We can say that the four main pillars of the country’s economic growth driving forces are
agriculture, garment, tourism and construction.

3.2 Tourism sector in Cambodia: “the new destination”
The tourism sector has been an important and very dynamic engine of growth and generator
of foreign exchange revenues since mid-1990s. International arrivals have increased from a very
low number in the mid-1990s. In 1994 when tourism data was first recorded, Cambodia received
176 617 international tourists. In 2010, Cambodia received 2 508 289 international visitors - an
increase of 16.4 percent. It is worthwhile to note that in the past decade Cambodia witnessed two
digit growth rates, making it one of the country’s strongest growth sectors. Nowadays, Cambodia is
still doing better than the Asia and the Pacific region in general where the growth in international
arrivals was around only 13% in 2010.
In addition to this picture of rapid growth, there are other very positive trends in the
Cambodian tourism sector. The country has moved quickly from dependency on long-haul US and
European source markets to a much more balanced spread of markets, with well over half of the
international market coming from ASEAN member states. In fact, cross-border flows are a

have a comparative advantage in tourism in form of cultural and natural attractions.
3.3 Ecotourism: new trend, niche market of Cambodian tourism
Due to the economic, political, cultural, and environmental circumstances in Cambodia, the
country is well-suited for the implementation of the international concept of ecotourism discussed
in Chapter 2. The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) initiated the development of ecotourism in order to:
- diversify the tourism product from culture to nature; - raise the profile of the country as a tourism
destination; - attract a segment of the tourism market which is considered to have growth
potential; - provide an incentive for the sustainable utilization of natural resources; - alleviate
poverty through tourism; - generate renewed pride in local cultures and traditions; - generate
resources for conservation; and facilitate responsible tourism planning and management practices
in an integrated manner.
3.3.1 Cambodia Ecotourism’s potentials:
Cambodia can effectively compete with other potential destinations in ecotourism
sector because of its unique ecosystems and impressive landscapes. Almost 70 percent of
the land is set aside as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere and fore
sts. As a result,
12

many tourism attractions in this country are culture and nature-
based. Cambodia holds huge
untapped potential for ecotourism development through its abundant natural resources and
rich biodiversity. Cambodia has a wide range of natural as
sets, making ecotourism a highly
beneficial, sustainable and long-
term form of tourism. This includes lakes, mangroves,
mountains, waterfalls, islands, wildlife and many others. More specifically, there are
23
protected areas (7 national parks, 10 wildlife
sanctuaries, 3 protected landscapes, and 3
multiple-use management areas were designated in 1993)

species; Cambodia Bay as member of
the most beautiful bay in the world
club)
• Friendly people with special
traditional ways of life
• Institutional support
• Existing market
• Existing infrastructure
• New destination
Weaknesses
• Lack of land management plans
• Limited implementation of policies and
strategies
• Lack of funds/investments and human
resources
• Unclear roles and limited participation
of ecotourism stakeholders
• Limited knowledge of ecotourism
• Poor/limited infrastructure and waste
management
• Limited promotion and marketing
• Time consuming and financial
constraint for ecotourism development
• Still low income generation from
ecotourism development and livelihood
improvement if compared to other
13

development
• Individual insitutions think only about

being developed, for example,
National Ecotourism Policy,
Ecotourism Development Strategic
Plan 2011-2020 etc.
Threats
• Transition – high investment risks
• Disappearance of indigenous cultures
• Extinction of rare species
• Mass tourism and its impacts on nature
and culture (demonstration effect)
• Competition among stakeholders over
funds and human resources
b- Ecotourism Market Demand

Today's marketplace is becoming "greener" and more environmentally sensitive than ever,
with 85 percent of the industrialized world's citizens believing that the environment is the number
one public issue (Wight, 1993). This attitude has evidently had an effect on the rise in popularity
of ecotourism, which has been called the fastest growing tourism market in the world (Jesitus,
1992), and its growth is expected to continue. Statistically, since the 1980’s interest in nature-based
tourism has increased dramatically. With a growing concern for the environment, coupled with a
strong desire to escape from the traditional vacation, many travelers are beginning to discover the
14

benefits and advantages of ecotourism, which has become the fastest growing tourism market in
the world. Ecotourism is a part of a growing niche market of the tourism industry. According to
UNWTO calculations show that, in 2004, the expenditures for ecotourism grow annually with
20%, which is 5 times more than the average expenditure for the tourism industry and it was

5
members are located in the
northern part of the country. Sites located close to the major tourist gateways- Siem Reap and
Phnom Penh- are more easily accessible due to better infrastructure and public transportation than
sites in the remote areas. Roughly 60 percent of the CBET sites offer home stays (MoT, 2009).
However, there are no minimum standard requirements for the home stays and therefore the level
of comfort and services are very basic at present time.
In 2007, CBET at eight sites generated roughly 75 377 USD of which 55% was allocated to
the villagers providing the service, 23% to environmental conservation, 7% community
development funds and 15% to other purpose such as supporting the poorest families and the
projects in general. It is estimated that around 2000 families are directly or indirectly involved in
CBET activities in the eight sites (SNV, 2009). Yet, the economic sustainability of CBET sites
depends a lot on the number of visitors to the sites. Only a fraction of international tourists to
Cambodia visit CBET sites. It is estimated that roughly 46 400 tourists, of which 17 percent
international, visited the eight CBET sites in 2007. Therefore a lot more work needs to be done in
improving the quality of the sites, engaging private sector in CB(E)T, and in marketing and
promotion. 5

Cambodia community-based ecotourism network (CCBEN), a network of international and local NGOs, educational institutions
and tour operators, which are working on ecotourism related and conservation projects, is working to promote community-based
tourism and ecotourism awareness among public and local community. The organization has conducted a number of CBT trainings
of trainers to its members and CBT awareness programs to local community and several study tours within the country and the
regions to CBT sites. Moreover, CCBEN also produced some materials for CBT training for its members and partners.

16

Chapter IV Case Studies of Peam Krasoap and Chi Phat Community based

department
6
. Bins and toilets are available throughout the pathways. Moreover, tourists can be
served meals by the restaurant, or by picnic along the trail. Tourists can enjoy their trip by
accessing directly into mangrove by suspension bridges across the estuary. Or they are able to rent
a boat for multiple trips, which its price is ranged from 20 000 to 70 000 Riels (5 to 17.5 $)
according to the chosen route of trips. In 2008, 24 129 local and 374 foreign tourists (including
Thai tourists) came to visit Peam Krasop Ecotourism Community. For the first three months of
2009, community has already received 15 077 local and 711 international tourists.
6

The first training course group 21 peoples and the second and third course to 11 peoples respectively.

17

4.2 The case study of Chi Phat Community based Ecotourism
4.2.1 General Situation of Chi Phat Community based Ecotourism site (CPCES)

4.2.1.1 History of Creation of CPCES and Location
The Chi Phat Community based Ecotourism is gathering four small villages: Chi Phat
village, Dam Sla village, Kam lot and Teuk la ork village, Thmor Bang village, totaling roughly
2328 (555 families) people. It is located in the Southern Cardamoms Protected Forest, in an area
that was severely affected by guerrilla warfare during civil war’s time. Noticeably, covering 6% of
Cambodia, the Cardamom Mountains are a biodiversity hotspot. They are one of the last
remaining elephant corridors and large predator ranges in the region. They host more than half of
Cambodia’s 2,300 plant species and are home to over200 bird and 14 globally endangered mammal
species like Asian Elephants, Indochinese tigers, Malayan sun bears, Siamese crocodiles,

18

4.3 The sustainability status of a CBET at Peam Krasop and Chi Phat
This case study research, based on an explanatory approach, aims at assessing qualitatively
the current sustainability status of a community-based ecotourism project at Peam Krasop and at
Chi Phat. The main focus will be put upon the role played by ecotourism, or what is being
promoted as ecotourism, in a broader natural environment protection context.
As identified by Ross and Wall (1999), local communities, tourists and resources/parks are
central contributors of regional tourism implementation and development.
Figure 1: Ecotourism evaluative framework

Source: adapted from Ross and Wall, 1999
The evaluation of indicators describing the relationships between these three major
elements of essential to evaluate ecotourism benefits in terms of a sustainable regional
development mechanism. Our 2 case studies are intending to draw an overall portrait of
ecotourism’s current capacity to reach its primary objectives in the south-western province of Koh
Kong. It will subsequently lead to recommendations on possible ecotourism planning
improvements in Cambodia, in order to improve future biodiversity conservation and revenue
generating capacity of the ecotourism project. In this sense, ecotourism success depends on the
quality of the relationships developed between three major elements: local communities-tourism-
protected area. The relationships will be summarized and discussed more thoroughly in this
subsequent section.
2.2.1 Relationship between Local Communities and Protected Area:
Ecotourism, as an attempt to increase economic value of parks, has become part of many
development and park-people integration strategies (Lindberg et al., 1996; Place, 1991). This has
been demonstrated in the case of Peam Krasop mangrove and Chi Phat, the degree of dependence
on natural resource being high on most of local communities, suggesting that ecotourism could act
as a compensation mechanism for land and resource use restrictions. This can be highly important
as funds directed toward conservation are sometimes limited in Cambodia, especially when most of
the threats natural resources, especially the mangrove, are facing come from subsistence activities.

Very High Very High
Resources used from PA Flora, fauna, mangrove Flora and fauna
Sustainability of
livelihoods?
Some sustainable Some sustainable
Activities of the greatest
threat to PA’s ecosystems
Fishing, woody carbons
conduction
Hunting wildlife, cutting the trees
for purpose of construction, sale,
nomad agriculture
Evidence of local benefits
from protection?
Very limited (harvesting of some
species of plants and wildlife)
Very limited
staff/local relations Staff from Environment office :
4-5
Staff from Forest Administration
office : 4-5
Staff from local people : 5 (not
permanent-only one time per
month)
There are 13 member staffs of
Chi Phat community and
seasonal staffs such as cookers,
guides, homestay or guest house
staffs, other service staffs like
boating, biking etc.

a considerable difference between villages involved into the ecotourism project. The greater
interest of tourists for specific activities is trekking. However, several questions remain about the
current revenue distribution scheme. It is difficult, based only on the existing data, to assess if the
money is fairly distributed among families and to compare at the family level the percentage of
their total revenues provided by ecotourism and their daily activities.
Ecotourism generated revenues have contributed to reduce the amount of families classified
as “poor” and that more than 50% of the annual budget of some villagers is provided by ecotourism
activities. On a local scale, the distribution scheme seems good, as all families interested in
ecotourism is given the opportunity to benefit economically from ecotourism by performing
activities (food, rent boat, guides ), based on a rotational villagers mechanism. However, as the
regional level important revenue differences have been observed among villages participating in
the same ecotourism activity. This phenomenon could be explained in part because greater
revenues are provided to the villages who welcome tourists for meals, compared to those who only
perform isolated demonstrative activities. The community can have indirect negative impacts on
long term ecotourism success by degrading the surrounding local natural environment. The absence
or the lack of national park protection budget could be partially overcome by a future increase in
ecotourism revenues.
In the case of Peam Krasop, the interaction opportunities between local communities and
tourists are well developed. Yet, direct interaction with local people is very limited due to language
barriers. The majority of local villagers do not speak international language. Thus, in an ecotourism
growing context, where an increasing amount of tourists visiting the site, language formations, for
many people, and not only to guides as it is already the case, but to local communities could be
implemented. For Chi Phat, the interaction opportunities between local community and tourists are
significant. Guides are trained; the language barrier is not the problem. Tourists are warmly
welcomed by community and villagers. Tourist safety and comfort are priority. Even the services
offered are not quite perfect, but they are at least acceptable.
21

Although the quality of the cultural experience offered to tourists is essential for tour
selling, local communities’ participation in ecotourism planning is significant to keep a positive

Fair Fair
Quality of village
infrastructure
Good Good

2.2.3 Relationship between Tourism and Protected Area
Ecotourism has been embraced to improve ecological conservation. This can be achieved
by a well managed ecotourism, who redistributes considerable revenues to local communities in
order to encourage changes in local practices, improve stewardship (Bookbinder et al., 1998),
support environmental education and provide revenues for park protection. If some economic
contributions provided to the government for conservation purposes, through a 10% sale tax
(VAT), 5% tourism fund and a permit fee (1.25$ per person/day), are substantial, this has yet to
reflect on local conservation and environmental education activities.
Funding shortage or limitations and lack of expertise are often the reasons for poor
environmental education infrastructures. This has been the case in Peam Krasop, although NPA
management unit and tourism entities have conducted some environmental education activities in
local villages, the quality, extent and frequency of these activities have been limited. In this sense,
even if Peam Krasop is considered as an important biodiversity reservoir and waterfalls, the
chances for tourists to observe mangrove, fauna, species, etc. are very narrow. The opportunity to
observe exotic wildlife in their natural habitat is highly valued by visitors. Thus, tourist’s
acceptability regarding future fee increase might be enhanced if they have the impression that it is
generating concrete benefits towards conservation and that it augments the overall natural
experience offered. Chi Phat case is nearly the same as Peam Krasop. Training courses and/or
seminar for local population about environment and wildlife protection are needed, while creating
22

booklets and posting other educational signs are also a good idea. The quality of experience in
nature is quite good in Chi Phat, and visitors are normally willing to view and observe exotic
wildlife in the real setting environment.
The quality of environmental education infrastructure provided to tourists is also a

education
• Potential for improvements
Fair

Good Passive interpretation
• In the form of
Visitor behaviour guidelines?
One information center is
availabel
There is Chi Phat
community information
center
Active interpretation
• In the form of
Quality
Fair Fair
Conclusion:
This research has outlined several positive aspects linked to the utilization of ecotourism as
a development tool in Peam Krasop. However, strictly on a definitional standpoint, ecotourism in
Peam Krasop cannot completely be considered a success since the local communities-tourism-
protected area relationships are not optimal. The incapacity to improve biodiversity conservation
effectiveness, by strengthening park management, diminishing local environmental damaging
practices and implementing strong environmental education for local communities, arises from this
case study. In contrast, the success of Chi Phat case is more significant with a rapid development

Fair Good
Local participating in
ecotourism planning
Fair Fair
Chapter V Conclusion and Recommendations
Conclusion: A mixed model for ecotourism development in Cambodia- An integrated
approach
Being developed on a regular basis at the two different fronts, the so-called small scale and
large scale, ecotourism in Cambodia has either beneficiated conservation or local communities. It
creates economic opportunities for the local communities while in turn helping to conserve the
ecosystem and biological diversity. Instead of going just to see a country, an ecotourist who are
ecologically conscious goes to help the country by promoting and contributing to conservation.
Actually, conservation can be combined with measures to meet short term economic needs. In
long term perspective, development must be sustainable and conservation will be the
determining factor. Regarding small scale ecotourism development in Cambodia, Community
based Ecotourism-CBET shows significant local benefit through ownership opportunities and
employment in higher level, managerial positions, and a potentially higher multiplier effect due to
greater linkages between tourism and other sectors in community (Ref. Chi Phat and Peam Krasop
CBET cases). Considering the situation and the real setting of the site where there is firm presence
of local communities living strongly dependent on local natural resources, CBET model-the small
scale ecotourism development- is suitable and practically beneficial for all relevant stakeholders. It
involves goods and services to be purchased locally and support for home businesses. Interestingly,
local empowerment is well taken into account in this case in order to make sure that local people
feel the ownership of their own areas and then do their best to manage and develop it in sustainable
and responsible manner. By profiting from serving ecotourism activities, they will actively protect
and preserve natural resources and environment in the areas.
24

However, in its development as an ecotourism destination, Cambodia continues to face
many challenges, including the desire to increase the number of visits. A lack of financial resources

Ministry of Rural Development, Council for the development of Cambodia (CDC) and/or NGOs,
Tourism Private Sector and financial institutions.
In this sense, every relevant parties and/or
institutions need to cooperate and coordinate well in more responsible way, with clearly defined
roles and responsibilities in advance, in order to achieve success together.
In conclusion, ecotourism development requires active and informed participation of all
relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and
consensus building. A thriving ecotourism sector will be promoted through coordinated support for
the provision of infrastructure and capacity building initiatives that are conducive to the supply of
quality ecotourism products and services that meet market demands and expectations. At the same
time, to avoid adverse and negative impacts, all stakeholders should be aware of the parallel need
for a cautious and considered approach in promoting the sector.

25

PUBLICATIONS
1. Thong Khon, (20…) Ecotourism and Climate Change, The Pracheachun Magazine
2. Thong Khon, (2011): The development of Tourism and Ecotourism in Cambodia,
Journal of Economics and Development, Volume 42, August 2011.
3. Thong Khon, (2011): Sustainable and Responsible Tourism Development in Cambodia,
presentation at Global Ecotourism Conference, Noosa, Brisbane 25-27
th
October, 2010