Your Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam Authors : Guy Marris Nick Ray Bernie Rosenbloom Editor : Ken Scott Your Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam ISBN : 321658741258 21 58 [ The Mekong River About the autors Laos author, Guy Marris, from New Zealand, arrived in Laos in 1997 with New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad to work in Xe Piane National Protected Area. He has spent the last 10 years in Southeast Asia working in various protected areas throughout Laos and Cambodia as an advisor in conservation management and ecotourism development. More recently he has assisted both the Nam Ha National Protected Area in Laos and Virachey National Park in Cambodia with the development of community-based ecotourism programmes. Prior to that Guy worked as an officer with the New Zealand Wildlife Service and then as a director-cameraman on natural history documentaries. Guy is presently in Mozambique assisting in the management of Niassa National Reserve with Fauna and Flora International. He can be contacted at: [email protected]. After university, Nick Ray, a Londoner, combined writing and tour leading in countries as diverse as Vietnam and Morocco. He hooked up with Lonely Planet in 1998 and has worked on more than 20 titles over the following years. Cambodia is his backyard and he has worked on several editions of the Cambodia guide, as well as Southeast Asia on a shoestring and Cycling Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia. Nick also writes articles for leading magazines and newspapers, including The Sunday Times and Wanderlust. He is often a location scout and manager of film and TV projects. He often takes on assignments for the BBC, Discovery and National Geographic channels. He currently lives in Phnom Penh, but is just as likely to be found in Siem Reap, Luang Prabang or Hoi An, three of his favourite places in the region. [email protected] Vietnam author, Bernie Rosenbloom, moved to Southeast Asia in 1992 as a freelance writer. The New York native specializes in travel and tourism subjects in Thailand and the Greater Mekong Subregion. He has written and edited for clients such as Thai Airways’ Royal Orchid Holidays, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Mekong Tourism Office, Best Western Asia, Lookeast magazine, Asia Satellite TV, PATA Compass magazine and Travel Daily Asia. Bernie resides in Vientiane with his Lao wife and two daughters. He can be contacted at: [email protected] Ken Scott runs Bangkok-based ScottAsia Communications which specialises in PR and communications services to travel-related organisations in Thailand and the Mekong region. Ken, a former journalist, guide book author and Director-Communications at the Pacific Asia Travel Association head office in Bangkok, has been living in Thailand and writing about the region since 1986. [email protected]. Table content What is responsible tourism ?...........................................p4 Forword by the editor........................................................p4 Map of Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam...................................p6 Cambodia Country profile.................................................................p8 Travellers’ Information....................................................p14 Do’s and Don’ts..............................................................p17 Responsible Tourism Activities in Cambodia.....................p19 Laos Country profile...............................................................p53 Travellers’ Information....................................................p61 Do’s and Don’ts..............................................................p67 Responsible Tourism Activities in Laos..............................p69 Vietnam Country profile.............................................................p100 Travellers’ Information..................................................p105 Responsible Tourism Activities in Vietnam......................p109 Annex / Resources & Further Information......................p141 Photo credits & thanks..................................................p141 3 [ Thakek old town - Laos About the Mekong Tourism Development Project The Mekong Tourism Development Project Specifically, responsible tourism, according to [MTDP] is being implemented in three the Centre for Responsible Tourism countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (www.icrtourism.org): [GMS] – Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This region is the fastest growing tourism destina- • minimises negative economic, environmen- tion in the world. Every year, millions of tourists tal and social impacts visit the GMS with a wide variety of motiva- tions and preferred styles of travel. Among • generates greater economic benefits for local these, there are thousands of independent people and enhances the wellbeing of host travellers who are interested to contribute to communities, improves working conditions local economies in socially responsible ways, and access to the industry so that their dollars benefit local people. These types of tourists are increasingly concerned • involves local people in decisions that affect about the effects tourism has on the environ- their lives and life chances ment and local way of life. The widening consumer niche market they represent is a • makes positive contributions to the critical demand factor that encourages invest- conservation of natural and cultural heritage, ment in more sustainable forms of travel and to the maintenance of the world’s biodiversity development. • provides more enjoyable experiences for The current supply of specialised travel tourists through more meaningful connections literature for the GMS does not meet the with local people, and a greater understanding growing demand for information on socially of local cultural, social and environmental responsible travel. The MTDP aims to fill this issues gap by providing useful information sources for responsible travellers in a guide book • provides access for physically challenged specially designed for this market. The Guide people; and to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is the first step by MTDP to serve both • is culturally sensitive, engenders respect responsible tourism operators in the GMS and between tourists and hosts, and builds local responsible travellers. pride and confidence. What is ‘Responsible Tourism’? Foreword by the Editor Responsible travel is a form of tourism that Tourism is a soft target. Everyone loves to supports cultural and environmental protec- criticise it. But we’re all tourists. Even die-hard tion, equitable benefit sharing and the allevia- critics of tourism are themselves tourists. So tion of poverty. the question is: how can we travel the right way – the responsible way? There will never be a definitive answer the seven criteria listed above. We believe tourism because the subject is wholly subjective. operators should be rewarded for good intentions Nevertheless, it’s better to try and travel – and motivated to enhance the ‘responsible’ responsibly than walk away saying there are element of their services. Readers should remem- too many snags and caveats. The Responsible ber that many of the operators listed started their Guide to Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and responsible tourism business without the benefit Vietnam is therefore, we hope, the right book of large amounts of investment, education, at the right time. Travel to the Greater Mekong training or institutional support. They are doing it Subregion, particularly, Cambodia, Laos and because they feel it’s the right way to do it. And Vietnam, is growing at over 20% a year and is they’re right. The least we can do is forgive them likely to continue doing so in the years ahead. their lapses and encourage them to make amends But responsible tourism is not about destina- and grow. tions making money at any cost to the environment, heritage, dignity and well-being. By the same measure, we as visitors have a If responsible tourism is done well, both the responsibility to do our homework, learn about our host and the visitor benefit by exchanges of hosts’ culture and respect it. A tourist who smiles, understanding and respect – as much as an learns a few words of the local language, dresses exchange of currency. appropriately and remains easy going, is well on the way to having a great travel experience in the So the objective of this book is to show tourists Greater Mekong Subregion. how to meaningfully participate in responsible tourism activities by showing them where and On the recommended tourism activities, future how to do it. We have identified 88 responsible editions of the book may have more rigorous tourism activities that we think tourists should entry standards. Future editions may have a wider visit. In each write-up we have tried to geographical coverage than Cambodia, Laos and describe “the experience” (from the tourist’s Vietnam. That is a decision for another day. Today, point of view) and explain “how it helps” (from the Mekong Tourism Development Project and the the host’s point of view). Mekong Tourism Office have got the ball rolling in the right direction. Our objectives were quite modest. We believed that raising some awareness of worthy activities was better than trying to write We look forward to hearing your feedback. On the definitive guide with strict rating systems behalf of the Mekong Tourism Development and iron-clad rules for inclusion or exclusion. Project, we thank you for visiting the Greater We preferred common sense. If there are Mekong Subregion.