Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
port fingers government corruption, uncertain regulations, and poor management as the
reason.
Cambodia's official Apsara preservation agency in Siem Reap confirms that the plight
of the poor has worsened with the tourism boom there. “The province of Siem Reap is
now one of the poorest in Cambodia,” wrote Uk Someth, of the agency. “Villagers profit
little from tourism, while (foreign) investors and suppliers have the advantage.”
Hotels import 70 percent of their needs from companies outside of Cambodia. They
purchase only 5 to 10 percent of their food from Cambodian farms. Well-trained foreigners
are hired for the upper-level jobs, while Cambodians scramble for the lower-paying posi-
tions that offer long hours, little training and seasonal employment—a common problem
for the low end of the tourism industry, according to studies by the U.N. International La-
bour Organization.
“In the middle of all this wealth, the average pay in Siem Reap is thirty dollars a
month,” said Soutif, of the EFEO Center. “Cambodians work two jobs, study at night, any-
thing to improve their lives. They are courageous.”
Yut, the Angkor guide, told me that corruption is another hurdle to finding a good
job. To get anywhere you have to pay bribes. For instance, to become an official guide at
Angkor, Cambodians must attend a government guide school where tuition is $130. But it
is nearly impossible to be admitted without paying a bribe.
Yut avoided paying the bribe because he is a retired monk. The twenty-nine-year-old
was born and raised in Siem Reap, and by the time he left the monastery three years ago,
he had mastered the articles of faith and the intricacies of Khmer history well enough to
pass the guide's test. Still, he had to attend the school to receive his license. A guide for a
top tour agency is paid $15 to $30 a day; the tour agency charges the tourists $60 a day. “It
is difficult even for guides to earn a good living,” said Yut.
Prime Minister Hun Sen argues otherwise. In a recent speech he claimed that tourism
was the “green gold” of Cambodia that “plays a vital role in improving the livelihood of
locals, mainly local communities at the tourist sites.”
Tourists aren't stupid. They see the gaping disparity between the comfort and luxury
of their tourism bubble and the poverty around them. Some even wonder how the elite
Cambodians can live so well while the average Cambodian appears so poor. The average
income in Cambodia is $2,000 a year and some 30 percent of Cambodians fall below the
national poverty line. For many tourists, this is the first time they've seen that degree of
poverty, and they feel moved to give back, either with money or as volunteers.
This impulse has become institutionalized as travel philanthropy or “volun-tourism”
and is very much in vogue. All over the globe, travel agencies and nonprofit groups are
offering inventive and mostly painless ways to be a philanthropist on vacation. In parts of
Africa, Central and South America, as well as Asia, some of this philanthropy has helped
Search WWH ::




Custom Search