WWF Cambodia has launched a $1 million project to support post-Covid recovery and the development of sustainable tourism in Cambodia by introducing solar and cooling systems to the sector.

The three-year project entitled “Building Back a Climate-Friendly and Inclusive Tourism Sector in Cambodia” is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, in partnership with WWF Cambodia.

The initiative pledges to promote sustainable energy transition within Cambodia’s tourism sector by implementing solar and efficient cooling solutions in hotels, eco-resorts, and community-based ecotourism. Additionally, it will contribute to Cambodia's transition to a low-carbon, low-cost, and low-impact electricity industry.

A Building Back Climate-Friendly and Inclusive Tourism Sector in Cambodia. Kiripost/Siv Channa

Kouch Panhasa, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Tourism, said that integrating renewable energy sources will take time. However, in 2015, the government launched the Clean City initiative with seven categories to involve all tourism industry owners in environmental protection.

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“Of course, nothing new can happen overnight without the involvement and efforts of the Royal Government, as well as the participation of our people. Only then can everything be accomplished effectively,” he said.

“However, I hope that in the future, our people, particularly those in the tourist business, will join the solar-use movement to help the environment,” he added.

He said there are no precise statistics on the percentage of businesses currently using renewable energy.

However, according to the tourism association, traders are becoming more interested in ways to mitigate global warming. Many have taken an active role in the area as they recognize the benefits of adopting solar and cooling systems, he added.

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“So, before utilizing, there must first be awareness and public understanding, not just among tourist industry traders, but also among our people as a whole,” he said. “So far, I believe they comprehend and engage extensively.”

Building back will focus on two types of tourism facilities: community-based eco-tourism (CBET) locations in the Mekong Flooded Forest (MFF), and hotels and eco-resorts in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, among other places, in order to support post-Covid recovery and the development of sustainable tourism in Cambodia.

Seng Teak, Country Director of WWF Cambodia, said the project provides everything for the local community, including solar, heating systems, cooling systems, lighting, technical training, and a management plan.

However, the initiative only provides technology in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap since all of the major hotels in the capital are willing to switch to renewable energy. Furthermore, they are capable of installing certain equipment in their hotel independently, particularly cooling systems, he added.

“For this three-year project, we will conduct testing in a program. If it is effective in this initiative, we will upscale it. Currently, three locations have been chosen, such as Kratie, Stung Treng, and Phnom Penh,” he said.

“In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, we will choose two hotels in each province that are top clients as models. We will set up monitoring to track their power consumption,” he added.

The SDC provides the initiative with around $1 million to accomplish this plan over a three-year period. However, if it is successful in this phase, it will be rolled out on a larger scale to cover the country’s numerous hotels, guesthouses, and resorts, he said.

Seng said he expects the Ministry of Tourism and Royal Government to work together to boost tourist arrivals to Cambodia in the coming years. In 2019, Cambodia welcomed 6.61 million foreign visitors.

He added that the Ministry of Tourism has plans to develop new tourism products and attractions to draw tourists not just to Angkor Wat, but other promising locations.

“So, if we have five to six million tourists and require approximately 10 percent or 15 percent of those to remain for an additional three nights and three days, we create more jobs and income for the community,” he said. “So, we should work together to achieve this goal.”

Cambodia welcomed about one million international visitors in the first seven months of this year, representing a 580 percent increase over 2021 and an 85 percent reduction over 2019. According to the most recent prediction, Cambodia is expected to receive between 1.5 and two million international visitors in 2022.