FROM THE STREETS TO A BUSINESSWOMAN – SREYLEAP’S STORY
To provide for her children Sreyleap worked several jobs, day and night. Yet no matter how hard she worked, she still couldn’t put three meals on the table each day or save enough to send her kids to school. Her dream of raising her children out of poverty seemed impossible.
HOW TO TRAVEL THE ANCIENT TEA HORSE ROAD IN YUNNAN TODAY
China’s southwestern province of Yunnan encompasses a wide range of scenery, architecture, and culture. Across this diverse province is a winding trade route survived from the Tea Horse Road.
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
Sustainable tourism is defined by the UNWTO as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”
CORMORANT FISHING: THE MYSTERIOUS PAST OF A DYING TRADITION
Cormorant fishing is a spellbinding example of human synchronicity with nature. While techniques vary from place to place, hatchlings are usually trained from birth, either by socializing with older domesticated birds or through a system of gradual rewards which incentivize them to cooperate with their human masters.
MY DREAMS CAME TRUE WHEN I JOINED EPIC ARTS
I started acting at school when I was 15. I loved acting, but it was something I did for fun. My wildest dream was to become a performer.
2020 MEKONG HERO – POTJANA SUANSRI
Without Potjana’s work, there is no doubt that our whole region would have far less knowledge about how to do CBT well. Potjana Suansri absolutely deserves recognition and appreciation as a true Mekong Hero.
2021 MEKONG HERO – SREY BANDAUL
Srey Bandol was a truly inspirational man and a great artist in his own right. The co-founder of Phare Ponleu Selpak, his devotion has led to the development of a generation of Cambodian artists as well as a sustainable tourism-art model.
LOCALS TAKE THE WHEEL
In recent years, more locals are taking the lead in Cambodia’s growing crop of community-based tourism products, a contrast to barely less than a decade ago when the majority of such products were headed by foreigners and NGOs.
THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM
Tourism can place too much pressure on fragile ecosystems causing degradation of the physical environment and disturbance to wildlife. Air travel, a necessity of international tourism, is a leading cause of air pollution. As well as this, cities which attract high numbers of tourists are dealing with over tourism.
THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR MEKONG TOURISM
The preliminary purpose of tourism is to improve the lives of residents and support the sustainability of the environment, social structures, and cultures. There are usually many stakeholders from the public and private sector involved. Governments enable tourism by providing policies and infrastructures. The private sector invites visitors to experience a destination and available products and services. There are very few destinations that, by nature, have a structure that offers benefits to residents and visitors.