The Ministry of Tourism has encouraged local tour operators to increase domestic and global promotion of selling tour packages to community-based ecotourism destinations in Cambodia, while five of them in the northeastern part of the country have newly been developed and ready to receive national and international tourists, a senior official said.

The push was made during a workshop to disseminate community-based ecotourism destinations in the Upper Mekong and Phnom Tbeng Meanchey regions to tour operators and related parties. The event was presided over by Minister of Tourism Thong Khon on Monday at the tourism ministry headquarters, said the ministry’s spokesman.

Top Sopheak, who is also the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Tourism, told Khmer Times yesterday that the ministry has been implementing the government’s policy to promote Cambodia’s natural tourism destinations including community-based ecotourism in Cambodia and other member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to tourists.

Sopheak pointed out that local operators are encouraged to arrange and sell both domestic and ASEAN community-based ecotourism packages to both national and international tourists on a link-together concept through ecotourism networks of the association based on the open tourism policies.

“Competition is always implied in the activities of tourists as they score points for places they experience even if they visit places in our country or other countries. So the most important point is to strengthen our destinations to be more attractive with warmness, reliability, standard of quality, standard of services, standard of hospitality, etc.,” said Sopheak.

The tourism ministry has also encouraged local tour operators to arrange and sell tour packages to five community-based ecotourism destinations in the northeastern part of Cambodia—Kratie and Steung Treng provinces—after they have visit for four days, while two community-based ecotourism destinations were granted ASEAN awards.

According to a release, the five community-based ecotourism destinations—three in Preah Vihear province, one in Kratie province and another one in Steung Treng province. Tang Yu Waterfall Community-based Tourism, Da Ta Verk Community-based Tourism and Chak Angre Waterfall Community-based Tourism are in Tbeng Meanchey area of Preah Vihear province.

Koh Samseb Community-based Ecotourism is located in Kratie province and Koh Han Community-based Ecotourism is located in Steung Treng province, said the release. These ecotourism destinations have just been developed for national and international tourists to visit through tour packages arranged by tour operators.

“These are the new destinations that we want to promote as they also have strong potential for both ecotourism and community-based tourism tours. Tourists have not been informed well about them yet, but now they have been developed with good action plans and are ready to serve tourists now after they have been supported by organisations and partners,” Sopheak said.

Koh Han Beauty Community-based Ecotourism is among the two community-based ecotourism destinations that were granted ASEAN Community-based Ecotourism Standard Awards. Another is Prey Thom Anlong Thom Community-based Ecotourism in Siem Reap.

There are 86 ecotourism destinations in Cambodia. “Sometimes, people feel bored of visiting modern places in cities like tall buildings and they need to turn to communities by camping or homestay that local residents prepare for tourists to stay along with local foods, which can help them generate income for their families,” Sopheak added.

Tourism Minister Khon has encouraged private travel agencies and tour operators that are members of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents and Pacific Asia Travel Association to promote tour packages to include ecotourism destinations more broadly to national and international tourists.

“He urged development partners and local and international non-governmental organisations to further provide both technical and financial supports to these communities and the ministry and eco-community tourism committee for the implementation of projects that related to the development of ecotourism and communities,” the release said.