Let Mountain Tourism and Ecotourism Be a Way of Life for People
On 18 August, the 2022 Asian Mountain Tourism Promotion Conference on Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit, Inclusiveness, Cooperation, and Sharing —— Jointly Building a New Future for Asian Mountain Tourism was officially launched in Guiyang, Guizhou province. Sreng Sataro, Charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Cambodia in China, made a presentation at the Asian Mountain Tourism Recommendation.
The following is the full text of the presentation.
It is my first time to visit the beautiful Guizhou Province. On the way from the airport to the hotel, I saw green mountains and water, and other natural beauties, which show that Guizhou tourism is developing in the direction of high quality. It is my great pleasure to share with you Cambodia's experience and practices in developing mountain tourism, and we look forward to cooperating in mountain tourism in the future, especially in protecting and enhancing the sustainable development of mountain tourism resources.
Cambodia's tourism industry is based on natural resources. The Cambodian government considers tourism as a key industry, which is essential for Cambodia to achieve its green goals and green economic development. Sustainable and responsible tourism can protect Cambodia's natural and historical resources. The progress of tourism will enhance the reputation of the country, increase cooperation and friendship with other countries, and also enable Cambodia to be better integrated into the region and the world.
Sustainable development is highly emphasized in Cambodia's tourism policy. Mountain tourism and ecotourism development is a very suitable mechanism for sustainable development and an efficient way to conserve natural resources, bring development opportunities to local people, allowing them to participate extensively in the decision-making process. People can directly benefit from tourism development by determining the direction of their communities through tourism participation and decision-making processes, thereby improving their production and living standards and significantly reducing poverty. Local people can benefit from nature and tourism, so we encourage local people to be able to participate in the conservation of mountain resources and the surrounding resources.
Cambodia has various natural resources and rich biological species, including 57 nature reserves, 3 nature protected wetlands, tropical forests, rare animals, etc. Mountain tourism has brought development dividends to Cambodia, not only protecting animals and nature, but also making the public aware of the importance of preserving mountain resources, as well as enhancing the mountain economy from which communities can reap the benefits.
As a new trend in Cambodia's social development, mountain tourism and ecotourism can contribute to local economic development. People have changed their minds to protect mountain resources so that the environment can benefit them. People in the mountains have enhanced the resources in the nature reserves and protected the local resources. In turn, local communities have taken on their own unique roles and responsibilities to enhance the conservation of natural resources for their sustainable use. This trend has boosted Cambodia's tourism industry and given it a new upgrade after the COVID-19.
Mountain tourism brings great products and opportunities. After COVID-19, the tourism industry has solved many people's employment problems by investing in mountain tourism and ecotourism. Despite losing their jobs during the epidemic, they have been able to return to work in mountain tourism-related jobs because of the development of mountain tourism.
The development of mountain tourism and ecotourism is an important part of Cambodia's post-epidemic recovery process, and Cambodia's recovery strategy is based on this. Mountain tourism and ecotourism not only lead to sustainable improvement of people's living standards, but also bring reliable income. To enhance the development of mountain tourism and ecotourism, Cambodia has introduced a series of measures to make it sustainable, while significantly reducing poverty and protecting natural resources. Not only does this allow for green resource conservation, but it also enhances tourist satisfaction. Cambodia welcomes and is very willing to work with a wide range of stakeholders to support and promote the long-term sustainable development of mountain tourism, such as cooperation on legal or economic aspects.
In general, mountain tourism encompasses a wide variety of activities that offer visitors a unique travel experience, allowing them to experience nature and culture in a different way. In the post-epidemic era, Cambodia is eager for people to become more involved in mountain tourism and ecotourism as part of their lifestyle and to reach out to more people in addition to their physical and mental health.
We believe that this conference will allow us to continue to discover new mechanisms. Let's work together to promote the development of mountain tourism and share our experiences with each other, as they can help all parties to recover quickly after the epidemic and further enhance the resilience of mountain tourism.
