Rationale:  create a Second Destination in Cambodia, using its well preserved natural assets & the world's growing concern about Global Warming

Far too many tourists currently visit only Angkor, without spending enough time (and money) in Cambodia.

Most travelers visiting South East Asia require that a significant part of their holidays will be spent at a dream-type sea-side destination, if possible an island.

Cambodia currently looses its Angkor visitors to well established sea-side destinations such as Koh Samui, Phuket, Bali and even Vietnam.

Direct competition with those well established destinations - which have thousands of tourism facilities, adapted infrastructures, performing transportation, long-trained staff, dream-type landscaping and a strong marketing advance - will be difficult if not impossible.

With the current worldwide obsession about Global Warming and the stigmatization of high environmental impact activities - air transport being one of the worst - more and more travelers, are now willing to travel in eco-friendly ways. Responsible Tourism has therefore become a strong marketing concept.

Travelers demand small ecologically clean facilities versus large standard structures that could be anywhere. Large five stars hotels, (such as the Sokha Beach) are only perceived as an efficient short-stay solution for people living in the region, but cannot be promoted as a final holiday destination.

Cambodia has considerable assets as its islands and Cardamone Mountains coasts are well preserved, something neighboring countries do not have.

Koh Rong Island, one of the most preserved areas of Cambodia

Declaring an entire island and coastal area a priority eco-friendly tourism development zone (making compulsory the use of renewable energy sources, the waste management, the used-water treatment and the offset of greenhouse gases emissions) and forbidding polluting equipments (diesel power generation, cars, motorcycles) would be a world premiere.

Cambodia would be mentioned by the world press as a pioneer in nature preservation for a change. Travel operators, accused of being very polluting, are now looking for opportunities to display their ecological correctness. The marketing of the destination would be done by itself.

Koh Rong, not too close but not too far from Sihanoukville, with its 10.000 ha, white sand beaches, coconut trees, waterfalls, forest hills and the possibility to one day rebuild the abandoned airport, could be the central point. The 1,500 inhabitants could benefit from a compulsory contribution on every hotel night sold. The tourism industry could fund their education, livelihood improvement (vocational training and insure market for sustainable fisheries, organic farming traditional crafts) and upgrading their housing infrastructures to the island standard. Tourism operators contributing to the communities are often privileged by the tourists.

Finally, the people “owning” the land would see their property value rise much quicker as more attention would drag small, medium and large investors. More licensing fees and taxes could also be perceived by the authorities.

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