[PHNOM PENH POST]
Cambodia's tourism Kingdom of Wonder may be limited to the ancient
temples of Siem Reap if some trends in economic development continue
unabated.
Its tourism sector boasts Sihanoukville’s beaches, Koh
Kong’s eco-tourism and French colonial architecture in Phnom Penh, among
other sites.
But each of these three potential destinations
faces challenges, including a potential coal-fired power plant, sand
dredging and apparent damage to property, respectively.
Tourism
is a big economic driver for Cambodia. But one has to wonder if a spate
of recent events means serious development of the sector has taken a
back seat to economic growth.
Most recently, we’ve seen alleged
construction by Vattanac Properties damaging French colonial-era
buildings on Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh.
That history, along
with similar architecture in Siem Reap and Battambang, is no doubt a
part of Cambodia’s attraction as a tourist destination.
Similar
damage was being done to the ecology of Koh Kong – as well as to local
resorts’ business and the livelihood of local residents – over the past
few months, as dredging machines owned by tycoon and Cambodian People’s
Party senator Ly Yong Phat pulled sand from the province’s rivers.
To
his credit, Prime Minister Hun Sen has largely halted sand dredging in
the Kingdom. And the Ministry of Water Resources has called on Ly Yong
Phat to study the environmental impacts of his operations.
According to reports, however, those operations continue in some form even now.
The
list goes on. Sihanouk-ville’s beaches have won distinction among the
world’s best, yet there are plans to build a coal-fired power plant in
the area, to the obvious detriment of the surrounding environment.
Mondulkiri,
another eco-tourism destination, has had its forests cleared for
rubber plantations and other agriculture production.
The Cambodian government has the right to shift the focus from tourism to other potential revenue streams.
In
fact, the much-needed diversification of the economy has been a key
issue for the Kingdom for some time, and certainly the clearing of land
to make way for agriculture at least continues the country’s economic
development.
Cambodia cannot have it both ways. If tourism is to
be extended beyond a reliance on Siem Reap’s temples, then the natural
habitat and heritage must be preserved, which means doing away entirely
with sand dredging and planned coal-fired power plants.
Authorities shouldn’t overlook the important role tourism plays in attracting further investment to the Kingdom.
Visits
to Angkor Wat or Phnom Penh are often the first points of contact with
Cambodia for business people who could bring significant sums of money
to the country.
The growing importance of places such as
Sihanoukville and Koh Kong on the tourism trail will only serve to
increase that revenue.
Mohan Gunti, who advises the Cambodia
Association of Travel Agents and is a member of the government’s
tourism working group, emphasised that point yesterday.
“Tourism
brings people, and people bring the investment. The investment carries
on through trade, employment opportunities for Cambodians, growth in the
construction and banking industries and so on,” Gunti said.
These
are crucial points, given that Cambodia is still largely unknown to
many investors. So it may not make sense to sacrifice the Kingdom’s
wonders to industry and development just yet.
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