Based on the survey conducted by SNV among CATA (Cambodian Association of Travel
Agencies) members in 2008, approximately 55% are aware of community-based tourism and
its principles. More than 90% of the respondents are interested in CBT due to
• improving the wellbeing of local communities
• providing local host-guest experiences
• diversifying their product
Even though the interest in CBT is high among the tour operators, only 46% of the
respondents include CBT sites in their product offerings. These sites are mostly located in
Tonle Sap region (30%) and Northeast Cambodia (27%). Majority of the respondents (54%)
have not included CBT sites in their tours due to the lack of demand (52%) or lack of
information on the CBT sites (37%).
In order to increase the number of CBT sites in the product offerings of inbound tour
operators, CBT sites should pay attention to the quality of the sites, variety of
activities/experiences provided, and benefit sharing mechanism.
The following table shows the economic, social and environmental principles of the surveyed
tour operators:
Hotels and guesthouses
According to the Ministry of Tourism, there were 351 hotels with 17,914 rooms and 742
guesthouses with 9,166 rooms in 2006. Most of the hotels and guesthouses are located in the
three major tourism towns, namely Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville and only a few
hotels and a number of guesthouses are seen in various provinces in the country.
Most of the provincial level accommodation establishments do not meet the requirements of
matured and well-traveled tourists who are mostly looking for a combination of rustic and high
quality accommodations. In addition, there is a total lack of ecolodges in the wilderness and
natural areas. Only one ecolodge meeting the Green Globe standards is currently found in the
country (in Rattanakiri).