March 6, 2006
Sustainable tourism in developing countries
For my winter vacation, I'm going to Cambodia's Siem Reap. In 2002 Siem Reap had 2,500 rooms. The figure is now 5,000 rooms and is predicted to reach 8,000 by the end of the year. Meanwhile electricity does not meet the demand of local residents, and poor waste treatment is causing pollution. There is also concern (and there is no imminent danger of this happening as far as we know) that using so much underground water will lead to landslides and the collapse of Angkor Watt’s temples.
I don't think there's a lot that we can do as tourists (beyond the obvious conserving water and energy and we should do that no matter where we are) but I sure hope that governments like Cambodia's can find the right balance between developing tourism and preserving the environment.
Posted by James Trotta at March 6, 2006 3:20 AM
I've just returned from a trek through Cambodia - Siem Reap's tourist infrastructure is admirable, but the credit (blame?) may go to other Asian countries who are developing madly and profiting heavily from Cambodia's corner of paradise.
Posted by: jen at March 7, 2006 6:07 AMNeed more concern about these matters. If the paying tourist doesn't show concern no one will until it is dangerous or effects business.
Posted by: Jared at March 8, 2006 11:02 AM